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1-Page Summary of The Healing Of America
Prologue
Monique A. “Nikki” White, a citizen of the United States died at 32 because she couldn’t afford healthcare. She had lupus and was denied Medicaid for making too much money but couldn’t afford to buy insurance or pay out-of-pocket for her treatment. The government passed a bill that would help people like Nikki, but it wasn’t enough to cover everyone who needs health care in America. Other countries have better healthcare systems than the US does, so we need to make sure all Americans have access to affordable health care before more people die unnecessarily like Nikki did.
Many Americans believe that living in a socialist society is the only way to have universal health care. However, most industrialized nations offer universal health care without being socialist societies. The author set out on a global quest to find out what other countries can teach America about health care by interviewing experts and leaders from around the world who provide free medical treatment for everyone, regardless of income status.
Chapter 1: “A Quest for Two Cures”
Reid visited a medical center in India. The Mayo Clinic of traditional Indian medicine is located here, and the services are covered by insurance. He had an injured shoulder that needed fixing. A naval surgeon had previously used a stainless-steel screw to fix it, but over time, the joint loosened and caused pain for Reid as well as difficulty with movement. So he went to see Dr. Donald Ferlic who recommended surgery to replace his shoulder joint with silicon and titanium parts fused into place with cemented joints on his arm and collarbone. However, Reid was unsure about this treatment since there were risks involved in going under anesthesia again at age 77 (the author’s age).
The surgery costs a lot of money. It might not even be successful in the first place, so there are risks involved. Also, it’s expensive and could cause other health problems, such as paralysis or death.
The US is not the best in health care. It might be spending a lot of money on it, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to better quality or more choice for patients. They have poor coverage and often don’t get the treatment they need because of cost issues. The rest of the world performs better than them, though it’s still not as good as some other countries like Japan, which spends less money per person on health care while still managing to provide better service and more choices for people who go to hospitals there.
Reid wrote The Healing of America to help prove that Americans could learn how to make health care more efficient by borrowing foreign ideas. He also set out to disprove the gimmicky term “socialized medicine.” After all, even in countries in which government plays a significant role in health care, doctors’ offices still operate as private enterprises. Japan has even more for-profit hospitals than the US.
In addition, despite the controversy over socialized medicine, there are government-run systems in place. The Veterans Administration and Medicare consistently receive high ratings from patients. They’re supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
Reid argues that the aversion to borrowing from foreign models is due to their being foreign. However, this view is ironic considering Americans’ love of other foreign ideas like yoga and TV shows. But comparative policy analysis—that is, seeing how these ideas can apply in America—is not new in the US. President Dwight D. Eisenhower used it when he applied German Autobahn as inspiration for creating the interstate highway system which led to many American developments such as motels and recreational vehicles.
