BUILDING A UNIFIED AMERICAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM : a blueprint for comprehensive reform

A blueprint for comprehensive, science-based health care system reform. Financial and political pressures on our health care system have negatively impacted individual care and the health system as a whole, an issue that has only become more acute because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Building a Unified American Health Care System , Gilead I Lancaster, MD, lays out a blueprint for comprehensive health care reform, proposing a unified system run by health care professionals―not politicians or commercial health insurance companies―that offers universal coverage and access. Lancaster compares the current arguments for single payer versus commercial health insurance systems with arguments in the early 1900s for a central bank versus regional commercial banks. He then introduces a novel solution: the establishment of a National Medical Board similar to the Federal Reserve System that helped fix the American banking system over a century ago. Along with other innovations, a plan co-created by Lancaster dubbed EMBRACE (Expanding Medical and Behavioral Resources with Access to Care for Everyone) would involve creating a modern, evidence-based health care system, one offering universal coverage for basic needs while allowing for commercial insurance participation. Emphasizing the importance of separating health care from governmental and commercial pressures and incentives, Lancaster explains the need for comprehensive―rather than incremental―reform of the American health care system. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Foreword, by Congressman Jim Himes Foreword, by David L. Katz, MD, MPH Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The American Health Care System Disorder 2. The Ideal American Health Care System: A Wish List 3. Health Care and the Economy 4. Lessons from the Creation of the Federal Reserve System 5. How a National Medical Board Can Help the Current Health Care System’s Problems 6. EMBRACE: A Comprehensive Plan for Health Care System Reform 7. The National Medical Board and the Federal Reserve System Compared 8. Anticipated Impact on Health, Health Care, Business, Innovation, and Government 9. Cost Considerations 10. Implementing EMBRACE 11. Political Considerations and Advocacy 12. Questions Answered Abbreviations References Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W "This is a "big idea" book that is meant to inspire health care leaders, policy makers, and other stakeholders to take a good look at our system as a whole and strive for something better, rather than continuing to focus solely on insurance reforms. The author has excellent credentials and has been involved in health policy reform efforts for many years"-- Provided by publisher