Crony Capitalism in US Health Care: Anatomy of a Dysfunctional System

Description

Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents About the Author Preface Acknowledgment Part 1 Explication of the US Health Care System Dysfunction 1 The Nature and Extent of the Problem Overly Expensive, Unaffordable A Source of Anxiety, Insecurity, and Despair for Many Americans Wasteful, Starving Other Sectors of Economy Unsafe, Poor Clinical Outcomes Scam Like Features of US Health Care System Conclusion References 2 The Crux of the Problem Distinguishing Greed, Profit, and Crony Capitalism Crony Capitalism Crony Capitalism Toolkit Crony Capitalism in the US Health Care System Enormous Waste in the US Health Care System and What Underlies It US Health Care System as a Peculiar Mix of Capitalism and Socialism Conclusion References 3 Medicine Without Evidence Evidence-based Medicine Comparative Effectiveness Research Why Evidence-Based Medicine and Comparative Effectiveness Research Receives So Little Attention? Entrenched Culture of Consuming More Health Care Conclusion References Part 2 Key Players Contributing to the US Health Care System Dysfunction 4 Politicians/Interest Groups Spending On Lobbying and Number of Lobbyists in the Health Care Industry The Capture of US Health Policy By Business and Interest Groups Institutional Sclerosis Conclusion References 5 Pharmaceutical Companies The Nexus Between Drug Companies and Politicians The Nexus Between Drug Companies and Physicians The Compromised FDA The Pharmaceutical Benefit Manager Lack of Innovation Corrupting of Science The Opioid Crisis Generic Drug Manufacturers Have Come to Play the Game Too Conclusion References 6 Private Health Insurers A History of Undermining Health Care Reform The Linchpin of the US Health Care System Cabal Deadly Spin Administrative Complexity Unfettered Corporate Power Conclusion References 7 Hospitals and Hospital Networks Overuse of Medical Procedures and Services The Cost Conundrum: Two Different Models of Care The Hospital Charge Master: An Exploitative Pricing Tool The Coding as an Industry Super Concentration of Hospital Markets and Undermining of Competition Surprise Billing The Emergency Room Services Collusion Between Hospitals and Insurance Companies Lab Tests and Ancillary Services Such as Physical Therapy Hospital-induced Injuries, Illnesses, and Deaths Cozy Relationships Between Hospitals and Local TV Stations Conclusion References 8 Physicians The Company Insurance Model The Fee-For-Service Model The Biomedical Model The Breakdown of Basic Ethics, Hippocratic Oath Physicians and Conflicts of Interest Who Sets the Price for Medical Procedures and Treatments? Medical Malpractice Tort a Convenient Excuse for Defensive Medicine (Overtreatments)? Physicians Blame the System and Other Players in the System The Malfunctioning Social Contract Between Medical Profession and Society Conclusion References 9 Medical Device Manufacturers A Tight-Knit Oligopoly Nexus With Physicians Shoddy Oversight by FDA Unethical Behavior Conclusion References 10 American Public Habits, Attitudes, and Lifestyle of the Americans The Commonly Harbored Myths About the US Health Care System Shaping/Manipulating of Views/Attitudes of American Public by the Industry Spin Machine The Prevalent Biomedical Model of Health Care in the US Conclusion References Part 3 How to Fix the US Health Care System Dysfunction 11 Addressing Crony Capitalism, Root Cause of the Dysfunction The Role of Business Political Campaign Reforms, Repeal of Citizens United, and Small Donor Revolution Politics By Principle and Influx of Entrepreneurs Conclusion References 12 Health Insurance, Payment, and Pricing Arrangements Administrative Complexity Pricing Failures of Health Care Procedures, Treatments, Drugs, and Services Failures of Care Delivery and Coordination Overtreatments or Overuse of Medicine Basic, Practical Solutions Conclusion References 13 Well-Informed Citizenry Conclusion References Conclusion Index