This American Life Demystifies the American Healthcare System

When the global financial system collapsed last year, This American Life and its sister program, Planet Money (iTunes – RSS Feed – Web Site) began doing something that few others could pull off. They took very complex problems and made them understandable, often demystifying difficult concepts in a reliably engaging way. Now, they’re at it again. This time, they’re breaking down the American healthcare system and getting at the core question. Why can’t we control ever-rising healthcare costs? That’s what the raging healthcare debate is effectively all about. And, if you want to be an informed participant in the debate, it’s worth listening to these two episodes that tease things out. The first episode, called More is Less, looks at doctors, patients, insurance companies and their tangled relationship. (Click here, then scroll down and find the “Full Episode” icon.) The second episode, Someone Else’s Money, gets you inside the world of drug and insurance companies and patients. Have a listen, and thanks to Bob in Brooklyn for the tip here.


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  • I think it is extremely relevant and important to understand more than
    that the US is ranked #37 in the world, especially if you argue that
    this ranking is indicative of the quality of health caqre.
    If you haven’t had a chance to look at how the rankings are derived then I would recommend you do so.
    Personally, I am not convinced that disability adjusted life
    expectancy is an accurate measure of health care quality. I think it
    may reflect health status, but not quality of care.
    BR, Joann Reamer, Expert Clinical Manager Jobs from clinical research jobs

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