Compelling portrait of a deeply troubled system.
Stories of people who have run afoul of the US health care system illustrate some of its serious flaws.
New Republic senior editor Cohn, an advocate of universal health care, says the time has come for a serious debate about health-care reform in this country. He not only highlights current problems here, he also provides a history of health insurance in this country and the political thinking and social forces that have helped to shape it. He opens with the death of a Boston woman whose ambulance is diverted because of emergency-room overcrowding, which, sadly, is not uncommon. Cohn then takes the reader to Gilbertsville, N.Y., where Betsy Rotzler, who has cancer, foregoes medical care because her husband’s health insurance vanished along with his job. In Deltona, Fla., self-employed Janice Ramsey cannot find a health-insurance plan that will accept her because she has diabetes. The Hilsabecks of Austin, Tex., are denied physical therapy for their handicapped son by their HMO. In Sioux Falls, S.D., Lester Sampson cannot get needed medications for his wife because he lost his health insurance when the meatpacking company at which he’d worked for more than 30 years canceled employees’ retirement health benefits. The story of the Maldonados in Lawrence County, Tenn., shows what cutbacks in Medicaid do to a family with serious health problems and very limited resources. Cohn examines the financial problems facing nonprofit hospitals and how they cope with them through the story of a former nun without insurance who is sued by a Catholic charity hospital in Chicago. He demonstrates the critical state of large public hospitals serving the urban poor via Jose Montenegro’s experiences at County–USC in Los Angeles. A final chapter portrays Denver’s Doren family, sinking into debt because of restrictions on mental-health benefits.
Compelling portrait of a deeply troubled system.Pub Date: April 10, 2007
ISBN: 0-06-058045-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
Light entertainment from a witty woman.
A breezy little volume by an actress facing old age with aplomb.
Now in her late 60s, Keaton, an Academy Award winner in 1977 for her role in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, sprinkles memories of her long career, including her friendships and more with certain leading men, into a mishmash of thoughts about childhood, beauty and parenting. The author’s attitude toward her own physical flaws—drooping eyes, a less-than-perfect nose, thinning hair—is meant to be reassuring to self-critical female readers. There is a rationale behind the omnipresent hats, tinted glasses and turtlenecks that other women might consider, but Keaton’s message is that everyone should do their own thing. Never married, she is raising two adopted children, now teenagers, who figure prominently in the narrative. Even movie stars, it seems, have ordinary parenting problems and bad days. Woven into the domestic scenes are recollections of film roles and fellow actors. Readers looking for chitchat about celebrities will be gratified; Keaton drops plenty of names, although at times, they seem to be somewhat forcefully injected into her narrative. The author is generous in her comments about others, giving full credit to her longtime friend Allen for launching her career and speaking well of the leading men in her life. For the record, Keaton reports that Warren Beatty, her co-star in Reds, had a pretty face, but Al Pacino, with whom she acted in the Godfather films, had a beautiful one. There are no illustrations; however, Keaton’s eye for detail makes them unnecessary. One caveat: The text is exceedingly brief, an afternoon’s read at best. The type is heavily leaded to fill out the pages, giving the impression that there’s more than is being delivered.
Light entertainment from a witty woman.Pub Date: April 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8129-9426-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.
In a follow-up to The End of Illness (2012), which explored how technological advances will transform medicine, Agus (Medicine and Engineering/Univ. of Southern California) restates time-tested but too often overlooked principles for healthy living.
The author outlines simple measures that average citizens can take to live healthier lives and extend their life spans by taking advantage of modern technology to develop personalized records. These would include a list of medical tests and recommended treatments. Agus also suggests keeping track of indicators that can be observed at home on a regular basis—e.g., changes in energy, weight, appetite and blood pressure, blood sugar and general appearance. He advises that all of this information be made available online, and it is also helpful to investigate family history and consider DNA testing where indicated. Along with maintaining a healthy weight, Agus emphasizes the importance of eating a balanced diet, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and a minimum of red meat. Avoid packaged vitamins and food supplements, and if possible, grow your own vegetables or buy frozen vegetables, which will generally be fresher than those on supermarket shelves. The author also warns against processed foods that make health claims but contain additives or excessive amounts of sugar or fat. Regular mealtimes and plenty of sleep, frequent hand-washing and oral hygiene are a must; smoking and excessive time in the sun should also be avoided. Agus recommends that adults should consider taking statins and baby aspirin as preventative measures. He concludes with a decade-by-decade checklist of annual medical examinations that should be routine—e.g. blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screenings, from one’s 20s on; colonoscopies, prostate exams and mammograms later—and a variety of top-10 lists (for example, “Top 10 Reasons to Take a Walk”).
Useful but disappointingly commonplace tips.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-3095-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
