Product Description
In the battle for U.S. health care, patients and doctors are losing. Who Killed Health Care? shows how to win the war. One of the nation's most respected health care analysts, Regina Herzlinger exposes the motives and methods of those who have crippled America's health care system-figures in the insurance, hospital, employment, governmental, and academic sectors. She proves how our current system, which is organized around payers and providers rather than the needs of its users, is dangerously eroding patient welfare and is pushing costs out of the reach of millions. Who Killed Health Care? then outlines Herzlinger's bold new plan for a consumer-driven system that will deliver affordable, high-quality care to everyone. By putting insurance money in the hands of patients, removing the middleman in the doctor-patient relationship, and giving employers cost relief, consumers and physicians will be empowered to make the system work the way it should. Herzlinger describes in precise detail how her innovative program will provide Smaller, disease-focused medical facilities that provide complete care for patients A national system of medical records that provides privacy with confidential access by approved practitioners Mandatory performance evaluations of all hospitals and all other medical organizations Mandatory health insurance with subsidies for those who cannot afford it Who Killed Health Care? is a call to arms that must be answered; the welfare of every American hangs in the balance. “A brilliant analysis… A must-read.” – Bill George, Professor, Harvard Business School and Former CEO of Medtronic “As it becomes more and more obvious to everyone that our current health care system is unsustainable, this is the book that had to be written.” – Daniel H. Johnson, Jr. MD, former president of the American Medical Association “Regina Herzlinger’s ideas to tackle the crisis of the U.S. health care system are based on keen knowledge of the system’s existing difficulties along with insights that introduce the reader to new streamlined choices that have the potential of getting both quantity and cost under control.” – Joseph Kennedy, founder, chairman, and president, Citizens Energy Corporation, CEO, Citizens Health Care, former representative (D-Mass) “Regina Herzlinger… offers a vision of the way things can be, should be, and will be sooner or later. The only question is: how long do we have to wait?” – Greg Scandlen, founder, Consumers for Health Choices “Regi Herzlinger has brilliantly articulated a better way – embracing the principles of competition and innovation that cause every other sector of our economy to thrive. Discharging American health care from the ICU can only happen by putting individual Americans – not politicians and bureaucrats – back in charge of their health care decisioins.” – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla), M.D. “Following on the heels of her landmark Market-Driven Health Care, Herzlinger lays it on the line with her expose of what many who work in the health care industry have felt in their gut. Now it is articulated in an entertaining and must-read portrayal, with you and me as the only way out.” – Dennis White, executive vice president for strategic development, National Business Coalition on Health “A wonderful Orwellian romp through issues which carry a deadly irony. The killers of health care are, of course, the third parties, each of which has an itchy palm and a commitment to profit or power which exceeds the commitment to service, with each engaging the others within a politically shaped box. Rarely has the case for the public been made with so much force, foresight, and wit, and a better way forward shown so clearly.” – James F. Fries, MD, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine “You can practically hear the war chants as Professor Herzlinger sets out her view of what’s wrong with the health care system and how to fix it. You’d best read it so you can decide which side you will be on when the battle is joined.” – Paul Levy, CEO, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA “Regina Herzlinger, the nation’s leading expert on consumer-driven health care, has given us a brilliant analysis of the flaws in our health care system and what it will take to get it back on track. Her latest book is a must-read.” – Bill George, Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School, Former CEO, Medtronic, and author of Authentic Leadership “You don’t have to agree with her diagnosis and prescription for the U.S. health care system, but you do have to read her book. Once again, Professor Herzlinger has put together a well researched, well written, and very provocative blueprint for the future of health care.” Peter L. Slavin, MD, President, Massachusetts General Hospital (20070705)

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 35 reviews)

A scathing critique by William Whipple III (Middletown, Delaware)

3 Stars
October 21, 2009
Per the jacket flap, Professor Herzlinger (Harvard Business School) "has sat on the boards of directors of dozens of nonprofit and business health care organizations and has been a keynote lecturer at hundreds of meetings on health care." She is also plugged in politically, as attested to by the visits to the U.S. Congress and the White House mentioned in the introduction. So when the author talks about how the healthcare system works in this country, she can do so with some authority. As Herzlinger sees it, there is a war going on and "the wrong side" is winning. She ascribes blame to health insurers, general hospitals, employers (who provide insurance for their employees), Congress, and academics, in other words just about everyone involved with the healthcare industry except consumers and doctors. And in the acknowledgments section, she predicts that "because the status quo fights dirty and fights hard to protect its interests, this book will likely be smeared." (This prediction does not seem to be borne out by the reviews posted on Amazon, which are predominantly four and five stars.) There are indeed many pointed comments about firms, institutions, and people, which were probably not appreciated by those on the receiving end. Corners cut, actions taken based on self interest versus the welfare of consumers, over the top compensation packages, and the like. Herzlinger does not even spare her fellow academics, who are said to "favor schemes that give them considerable power over your money." In my view, this part of the analysis is well worth reading no matter what approach to healthcare reform one is inclined to favor. It is stated repeatedly that the healthcare system could benefit from more choices and competition, which leads to the conclusion that a government-run healthcare system (or "single payer") is not the solution and sets up the author's proposal for a "consumer-driven healthcare" system. But Herzlinger is no dyed-in-the wool conservative, for she also espouses universal healthcare and subscribes to the idea that individuals (not companies) should be required to maintain at least catastrophic healthcare insurance coverage (to be subsidized by the government as required). I am not sure the consumer choice and universal healthcare thrusts are compatible, although it would be nice if they were. That would be something for readers to ponder while following the argument. The issue is far from theoretical, for the healthcare legislation currently (10/21/09) under consideration would embrace greater government control as a means of reducing the number of Americans without healthcare insurance - an approach Professor Herzlinger seemingly warns against. On the other had, she praises the Massachusetts universal healthcare plan that was enacted in 2006 - which according to other sources has led to soaring healthcare costs, etc. - so it's not entirely clear how she would come out on the national legislation now under review. As for the author's own plan, there seem to be a few holes. For instance, I'm not convinced that establishing a new federal agency to function as "a health care SEC" would greatly improve the quality of information available on the performance of healthcare providers. Ask yourself why the SEC missed the Madoff scandal until it blew up in their face. Also, I don't see why the government should necessarily provide a tax subsidy for healthcare expenditures. Perhaps it would suffice to eliminate the current inequity in the tax law by taxing employees on the value of employer-provided healthcare coverage. In summary, this is an excellent analysis, but the solutions offered are no panacea.

The real problem, and the real solution, to healthcare by Richard Gibson (Woodland Hills, CA)

4 Stars
October 12, 2009
The ordinary healthcare debate is relentlessly stupid. Liberals, who really want a single-payer system like Canada, but who are terrified of openly advocating socialism, ceaselessly push for more government in medicine. Conservatives, who have this fantasy that the current system is free enterprise, tirelessly defend the status quo and have no ideas for constructive change. The whole debate centers around the question of government healthcare versus free enterprise. In the debate, few bother to notice that the current system, which is more than 40% government funded, and dominated by huge, highly regulated institutions, has little or no resemblance to any ordinary free market. Herzlinger notices this. She argues that the current system is totally dominated by huge bureaucracies, both public and private, and that neither the patients nor the doctors have any real say in the system. She advocates a system driven by consumers, in which, with some tweaking appropriate for healthcare, normal free enterprise motivations could be used to create a far more effective and innovative system. I think she is right. I think she knows exactly what she is talking about and has the right ideas for solutions. Unfortunately, I found this book hard to follow. To me, she seems to keep jumping around from one thing to another and does not really develop her argument in a logical way. I those had a hard time following her logic. Despite this, I think she is the best on the subject.

Good overall perspective on the US HC by V. Popescu

5 Stars
September 29, 2009
Not much to add to other reviews on this page. Very interesting and actually common sense perspective on the topic, too bad it's dismissed a priori by so many smart people.

One angle on how the US Health Care system can be reformed...One of the major problems facing America right now is the health ca by Thomas Duff (Portland, OR United States)

4 Stars
August 08, 2009
One of the major problems facing America right now is the health care system as it currently exists. I felt that a bit of reading was in order to start to educate myself on the various views and proposed solutions. Regina Herzlinger takes the position that consumer-driven health care is the best solution in her book Who Killed Health Care?: America's $2 Trillion Medical Problem - and the Consumer-Driven Cure. While I think she makes some strong arguments (and while I think this is one of the better solutions), I think she's somewhat naive on a couple of points. Contents: Part 1 - Who Killed Health Care?: The Day Health Care Died Part 2 - Death By A Thousand Cuts: Killer Number 1 - The Health Insurers; Killer Number 2 - The General Hospitals; Killer Number 3 - The Employers; Killer Number 4 - The U.S. Congress; Killer Number 5 - The Academics Part 3 - The Right Medicine - Consumer-Driven Health Care: How It Works; Consumer-Driven Benefits - Lessons From Other Countries and Industries Part 4 - How To Make It Happen - The Carrots, The Sticks, The Laws: The Carrots; The Sticks; A Bold New Consumer-Driven Health Care System Notes; Index Herzlinger uses the metaphor of a dead patient to explain the parts of the US Health Care system that "killed" him. "Jack Morgan" needed a kidney transplant, and had a donor (his daughter) all lined up. But all the "killers" conspired to contribute to his death. Insurers did so by delaying authorization for coverage of the procedure to increase their profit. Hospitals did so by hiding their prices, and then charging him the highest rates if he had the procedure without insurance coverage. Employers did so by restricting coverage choices to lower their costs of insuring their employees, even though they're using *your* money to buy the coverage. Congress contributed to Jack's death by thinking it knew better on how to spend money on his care than Jack did. Therefore, money only went in the direction Congress dictated. And finally, the academics played their part by dictating "smart policy" for heath care professionals, even though they had never been on the front-lines practicing medicine. Health care can't always be reduced to spreadsheets and cookie cutter processes. Ms. Herzlinger advances the solution as consumer-driven health care. Competition and transparency in pricing would force prices down, saving large amounts of money. Spending choices would be put into the hands of consumers, allowing them to make choices based on their needs, not the needs of groups that employ or insure them. Laws should be changed to allow for smaller specialty practices to exist to focus on particular health concerns, such as heart disease or kidney issues. In short, medicine should be operated more like other businesses where pricing is known, competition rules, and innovation and entrepreneurism is permitted and encouraged. I personally feel this is a much better option than many others I've seen proposed. But even with that, I think that Herzlinger doesn't take into account the propensity for corporate greed. While less government regulation would be good, many regulations came about to address fraud. And no matter how you structure the changes to health care, there will ALWAYS be some group that will look for ways to get as much as possible while supplying as little as they can. Add in kickbacks and other "creative accounting", and you have an area ripe for abuse. So while many of the things that Herzlinger proposes make sense, none of them can be complete answers in themselves. Even with my caveats, I think Who Killed Health Care is a very good read in order to increase your understanding of the current environment and possible solutions to our health care crisis.

Healthcare a New Perspective by Rosemary Velasquez (Hackensack, NJ)

5 Stars
April 26, 2009
This book opens our eyes to what really drives healthcare and the people who are behind this phenomenon. We as a people need to be able to take control of our options and bring back healthcare to its original state where it was once affordable our premiums low and where physicians are not doing guess work when it comes to our well-being just to enhance their bottom line. This book is awesome!

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Market-driven Health Care: Who Wins, Who Loses In The Transformation Of America's Largest Service Industry by Regina Herzlinger (Author) What happens when the demanding consumers who nearly brought the U.S. automobile industry to its knees focus the same kinds of pressure on the industry that represents one-seventh of the U.S. economy—health care? The health organizations that combine quality, convenience, information, choices, and lower costs will be the winners in this revolution. Regina Herzlinger, chaired professor at the Harvard Business School, distills the facts from the noise surrounding the one industry whose measures...
	A Second Opinion: Rescuing America's Health Care by Dr. Arnold Relman (Author) A world-renowned physician traces the rise of the medical-industrial complex that has made a disaster of our healthcare system--and tells us incisively what we need to do to change it. The U.S. healthcare system is failing. It is run like a business, increasingly focused on generating income for insurers and providers rather than providing care for patients. It is supported by investors and private markets seeking to grow revenue and resist regulation, thus contributing to ...
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	Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis by Tom Daschle (Author), Jeanne M. Lambrew (Narrator), Scott S. Greenberger (Narrator) A much-needed and hard-hitting plan, from one of the great Democratic minds of our time, to reform America’s broken health-care system. Undoubtedly, the biggest domestic policy issue in the coming years will be America’s health-care system. Millions of Americans go without medical care because they can’t afford it, and many others are mired in debt because they can’t pay their medical bills. It’s hard to think of another public policy problem that has lingered unaddressed...
	The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care by David Gratzer (Author) Drawing on personal experience in both the Canadian and U.S. systems, Dr. Gratzer shows how paternalistic government involvement in the health care system has multiplied inefficiencies, discouraged innovation, and punished patients. The Cure offers a detailed and practical approach to putting individuals back in charge. With an introduction by Milton Friedman, The Cure will be required reading for anyone who wants to know what is really wrong with the modern health care system.