Power, politics, and universal health care The inside story of a century-long battle

Through one part "insider story," one part solid scholarship, and one part guide to health care policy for the average citizen, Altman and Shactman (both, Brandeis Univ.) present a masterful discussion of the century-long quest for universal health care in the US. Beginning with the story of a secret June 1974 meeting among Altman (then at Health, Education, and Welfare) and key people from Senator Kennedy's and Representative Wilbur Mills's staffs, readers learn how tantalizingly close the US came to universal health care in 1974, only to see it slip away with Watergate and the Democrats' belief that they would win the 1976 election and come up with a plan of their own. Readers are then taken back to Teddy Roosevelt and early efforts to expand access, and subsequent developments, including President Obama's achievement in 2010. Along the way, readers will learn of Altman's law: while all stakeholders want reform, they prefer the status quo if reform will hurt their interests. This observation and many others make the book useful to scholars, students, and citizens who want a better grasp of the issue. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. J. F. Kraus Wagner College

In this level-headed look at health care policy, Altman (a major player in reform efforts since the 1970s) and freelance writer Shactman tease out the paradoxes from the politics, arguing that there can be no functioning health care system without federal involvement. Fear of government-run health care has produced the world's most expensive system, which has parceled out coverage for the poor, the elderly, AIDS patients, and children, while leaving millions of others without options. Though Democrats like the late Sen. Edward Kennedy made health care their life's mission, it was Richard Nixon who tried twice to enact universal health care, only to be undone, in part, by scandal. Bill Clinton made the next serious attempt but crashes and burns, never getting support from Congress for his complex, revolutionary "managed competition" plan. In an ironic twist, Barack Obama finally secures the reforms (such as eliminating exclusions for pre-existing conditions) that Nixon and other Republicans sought, without making Clinton's political mistakes. The alphabet soup of health care jargon is made more palatable by a convenient glossary and a light sprinkling of anecdotes involving Altman's late mother who once asked: "Who designed this crazy system?" This eminently accessible study offers the answers. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.