Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide

by Abdul El-Sayed, Micah Johnson, Christopher Grove (Read by), Bernie Sanders (Contribution by), Pramila Jayapal (Contribution by)

Overview

A citizen's guide to America's most debated policy-in-waiting.

There are few issues as consequential in the lives of Americans as health care—and few issues more politically vexing. Every single American will interact with the health care system at some point in their lives, and most people will find that interaction less than satisfactory. And yet for every dollar spent in our economy, nineteen cents go to health care. What are we paying for, exactly?

Health care policy is notoriously complex, but what Americans want is quite simple: good health care that's easy to use and doesn't break the bank. Polls show that as many as 70 percent of Americans want the government to provide universal health coverage to all Americans.

What's less clear is how to get there.

Medicare for All is the leading proposal to achieve to universal health coverage in America. But what is it exactly? How would it work? More importantly, is it practical or practicable?

This book goes beyond partisan talking points to offer a serious examination of how Medicare for All would transform the way we give, receive, and pay for healthcare in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200159130
Publisher:	Tantor
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DPhil, is physician, epidemiologist, and healthcare reform activist, and former health director for the city of Detroit. He ran for Governor of Michigan in 2018 on a single-payer platform and advised on the 2020 Democratic platform as a Healthcare Unity Task Force appointee. He is the host of the podcast America Dissected on Crooked Media.

Micah Johnson, MD, is a physician who has advised on healthcare policy as a congressional and White House aide. He is a resident physician in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Christopher Grove is an award-winning, veteran actor and narrator based in Los Angeles. He guest-stars on top network TV shows (recurring on Season 2 of David Fincher's
Mindhunter, How To Get Away With Murder, Pretty Little Liars, Revenge,
Scandal, Masters of Sex, Justified, Agent Carter, and more). He has performed at major theaters around the country, including the Mark Taper Forum and the Public Theater.

Chris has lived and worked in London, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and some of the places in between. He's the son of a college professor and World War II veteran and of a social worker. He has degrees from the University of Toronto (history and political science) and the University of Southern California (print journalism), where he graduated in the top of his class.

Bernie Sanders ran as a Democratic candidate for president of the United States in 2015 and 2016. He served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, for eight years before defeating an incumbent Republican to be the sole congressperson for the state in the US House of Representatives in 1991. He was elected to the Senate in 2007 and is the longest-serving independent in the history of the Congress.

Table of Contents

Forewords by Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal

Part I: Healthcare in America
1. Diagnosis
2. How We Got Here: A History of Health Reform in America

Part II: Policy
3. Medicare for All: The Fundamentals
4. Designing a Medicare for All Program
5. How to Pay for It
6. Medicare for All vs. Alternatives

PART III: Politics
7. We the People
8. For and Against
9. Stakeholders in Flux
10. Organizing vs. Advertising
11. Parting Thoughts

Editorial Reviews

"Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide is part moving narrative, part detailed policy analysis, and part practical organizing playbook.... I am grateful to Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson for speaking truth to power in this fierce book." — Pramila Jayapal, US Representative, WA-07

"In this book, Drs. Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson discuss Medicare for All in clear and simple terms. They describe the reasons why the industry has opposed the policy even though it would help millions of Americans, and how everyday Americans are beginning to make Medicare for All possible." — Bernie Sanders, US Senator, VT

"If the American healthcare system were a patient, it would be in critical condition. Fortunately for us, Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson don their white coats to discuss the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic options in plain English. This incisive handbook is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of one of the most pressing issues of our time." —Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Author of When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error

"Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson have written a lucid and accessible account of why Medicare for All is the best path for universal healthcare access in the US. Stripping the arguments 'for' or 'against' of sham ideological content, they make clear that the main question is whether we believe that no one should have to face both illness and financial ruin. If you agree, read this book to make the case!" — Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Director of the FXB Center at Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Former Health Commissioner, New York City

"During a period when global pandemic has exposed the deadly mistake of linking healthcare to our workplace, Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide is the sweeping, clear-eyed manual for making healthcare a right that we've been waiting for." — Benjamin Day, Executive Director, Healthcare-NOW

"Nurses have long understood that the major obstacle to passing Medicare for All isn't the policy, but the will to take on those who benefit from our immoral, profit-driven health care system. In this book, Abdul El-Sayed and Micah Johnson brilliantly demonstrate how Medicare for All works, and how a combination of messaging and grassroots advocacy can overcome our opposition. A must read."
— Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director, National Nurses United

"In this timely book, Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson shine a light on the people left behind by our current health care system. Regardless of your politics, their thought-provoking writing will push you to think more deeply and critically about the future of healthcare in America."
— Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA 19th Surgeon General of the United States

"This book is a labor of love for the American people and the healthcare system they deserve. Drs. El-Sayed and Johnson demystify Medicare for All and defang the political talking points to offer a clear distillation of the potential of this policy, while guiding the reader through the challenges and opportunities of this moment for achieving it."
— Ro Khanna, US Representative, CA-17

"An essential primer on why we need Medicare for All, the essentials of reform, and pitfalls to avoid in crafting legislation."
— Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH, Distinguished Professor of Public Health, City University of New York and Co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program

"The coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how unsustainable our fragmentary, privatized, and fundamentally individualistic health care system truly is. This engaging and accessible guide couldn't have come at a better time."
— Lindsay F. Wiley, JD, MPH, Professor of Law and Director of the Health Law and Policy Program, American University Washington College of Law

"In this important and timely book, El-Sayed and Johnson document everything you need to know about Medicare for All. This Citizen's Guide both demystifies and humanizes our broken health care system and explains why we must fight to transform it now."
— Ady Barkan, Organizer, Center for Popular Democracy and Co-Founder, Be A Hero PAC

"This is by far the finest extended analysis I have seen to date of the next wave of public policy options for health care reform. It is breathtakingly comprehensive, thoroughly supported with research citations, lucidly written, and logical. It amounts to a major contribution to the US healthcare reform debate."
— Donald M. Berwick, MD, Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

"The growing debate over Medicare for All has mostly occurred at the level of soundbites and slogans, not specifics. In this essential 'Citizen's Guide,' we get the specifics: the provisions, promise, potential pitfalls of-and, yes, political prospects for-this bold vision for affordable quality care for all. Whether you support Medicare for All or just want to truly understand it, you must read this book."
— Jacob S. Hacker, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Political Science, Yale University and author of The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream

"The writing is passionately strong and candid, featuring a sense of balance and connect-the-dots scrutiny that conveys a well-rounded appreciation of the subject matter." —Kirkus Reviews

"The debate about US health care is raging, with a single-payer system growing in popularity as an option, and Medicare for All is a valuable resource for understanding those important discussions." —Foreword Reviews

"Medicare for All is a book that should be thrust into the hands of every U.S. legislator, every doctor and nurse, every voter generally. El-Sayed and Johnson bring much-needed clarity and rigor to the discussion about Medicare for All. Their book should be the starting point for every future discussion about the plan." —Current Affairs

"This practical account offers a straightforward rundown of suggestions and solutions for anyone wishing to learn more about public policy in the Unites States and why Medicare for All is such an important topic. It will especially peak the interest of anyone drawn to policy reform."—Rachel M. Minkin, Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

Physician and activist El-Sayed, author of Healing Politics and host of the podcast America Dissected, collaborates with physician and policy adviser Johnson to create a robust guide for those wanting to explore and investigate both the ongoing conversations around Medicare for All (M4A) and how health care is intertwined with politics. This book, which features a straightforward Q&A format, covers the proposed program as well as the arguments for and against without oversimplifying the magnitude of the discussion. The narrative is balanced and nuanced, despite the political rhetoric surrounding Medicare for All. Whether personally for or against it, readers will find that El-Sayed and Johnson have created a well-reasoned primer for those unfamiliar with the details of the proposal by showing how it is different from Medicaid, and how it would affect not only patients, but doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. The book includes impassioned forewords by Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. VERDICT This practical account offers a straightforward rundown of suggestions and solutions for anyone wishing to learn more about public policy in the Unites States and why Medicare for All is such an important topic. It will especially peak the interest of anyone drawn to policy reform.—Rachel M. Minkin, Michigan State Univ. Libs., East Lansing

Library Journal

2020-11-21
A guide to the policy, politics, and potential of health care for everyone.

This book addresses significant questions that have bedeviled the American electorate for more than two centuries: Is health care a collective right? Should the government guarantee comprehensive coverage to its citizens under a single, publicly funded plan, or is a market-driven system more amenable to the public? El-Sayed, a physician, epidemiologist, and former health director of the City of Detroit, and Johnson, a resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, address these concepts as they apply to the "Medicare for All" proposition, uncovering its history and the nature of the policy through its design, implementation, and financing. The writing is passionately strong and candid, featuring a sense of balance and connect-the-dots scrutiny that conveys a well-rounded appreciation of the subject matter. The authors identify the key problems of the existing system, including expense, monopolization, lack of oversight, and the undermining of the doctor-patient relationship—all of which are the hallmarks of a system dominated by pharmaceutical and insurance companies and the hospital industry. The authors advance the notion that individual health care is crucial to our societal health, and they dissect the strengths and weaknesses of the Medicare for All proposal, which would offer comprehensive coverage, greater efficiency, and public accountability. There are few easy answers regarding its implementation, particularly in a politically charged atmosphere in which questions of abortion and immigration are on the front burner. Regardless, an awareness about the ins and outs of the Medicare for All system is a good start, and the authors demonstrate the need for a grassroots movement to generate a more informed electorate and thwart the disinformation and outright lies that permeate any discussion of health care. The book also features forewords by Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal.

Cuts through the fog of health care complexity to offer a cleareyed picture of a fairer, more sustainable system.

Kirkus Reviews