HOWARD DEAN'S PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM (Howard Dean, M.D.)

You don't have to be a Democrat or an Obama supporter to appreciate the time and research that went into this short, but very informative, book on healthcare. Dean divides his book into five sections and, while he is obviously supportive of President Obama's efforts to revamp our system of health insurance/healthcare, he presents well-researched facts about what works, what doesn't, and why.

In part 1, Profile of a Crisis, Dr. Dean writes about the problems with private health insurance, including the incomprehensibility of insurance policies to the general public, the loopholes that allow insurers to drop the individually insured when they develop health problems, and the problems of balancing care with the need for bigger and bigger profits to satisfy shareholders. Small businesses, the unemployed, and the chronically ill suffer most under our current system, but there is no alternative available, no competition to help keep prices down and offer an affordable way to pay for healthcare without draining financial resources. Not enough is being done in the U.S. to maintain health. Personal responsibility needs to be in the forefront of any healthcare reform plan. Right now 2/3 of us are overweight, which leads to more problems requiring more treatment down the line.

Dr Dean discusses aspects of Obama's health care plan and the overall need for a public option in part 2, A Prescription for Healthcare Reform, including a frank discussion of costs and how to pay for the program. As governor, Howard Dean revamped the health care system in Vermont, resulting in better coverage and significant saving to individuals and businesses in that state. Part 3, Who's Been Standing in the Way, covers special-interest groups and why opposition to a public option is so strong. Private insurers, big business, pharmaceutical companies, and conservatives are often opponents of reform, along with individuals who have been erroneously led to believe that the public option will resemble the British or Candian healthcare system. Preying on irrational fears and ignoring the facts have obscured some of the real issues.

Part 4, Shattering Healthcare Myths, is especially interesting because in it Dean presents short summaries of the develpment and administration of healthcare systems currently in effect in many European countries and talks about how some of them might work or not work in the U.S.. He also addresses many of the myths about healthcare reform. Finally, in Call to Action, Dr. Dean encourages everyone to step up and acknowledge their personal stake in healthcare by educating themselves on the facts. He presents fictional scenarios of families like yours or mine and what would happen to them, given certain health or employment situations, with and without healthcare reform. They are not sensational situations, but well thought-out, realistic possibilites.

I would recommend this short (132 pages) book for anyone who has questions about affordable health care. Approach it with an open, inquiring mind. Dr. Dean provides a lot of food for thought and a facts that you can either believe or research further. It's good to have someone, Democrat or not, whose primary concern is the welfare of U.S. citizens address these issues and lay out the facts in an organized and understandable way.