Book Reviews

By Charles Mathews, MD, Secretary CCC-PNHP

Book report: 10 Excellent Reasons for National Health Care

Edited by Mary O’Brien, MD and Martha Livingston, PhD, the New Press, New York, NY, 2008

I’ve read with pleasure the 156 pages of the new pocket-sized (6.5”x4.5”) book “10 Excellent Reasons for National Health Care”. With foreword by John Conyers, this very readable collection of essays is “a clear, concise and science-based analysis of the logic and benefits of national health care”*. (1) It’s good for our health (2) It costs less and saves money (unlike all the alternatives) (3) It will assure high-quality health care for all Americans, rich or poor (4) It’s the best choice - morally and economically (5) It may be a matter of life or death (6) It will let doctors and nurses focus on patients, not paperwork (7) It will reduce health care disparities (8) It will eliminate medical debt (9) It will be good for labor and for business (10) It’s what most Americans want - and we can make it happen. At the end is a very useful list of resources and links to National Organizations and Campaigns, to State and local organizations, and to Research and Policy Resources.

*David Satcher, M.D, PhD, 16th U.S.Surgeon General

I highly recommend this little blue book, to all concerned about our country’s health care crisis, especially to those who are in a position to make the necessary changes at in our legislative bodies.

The New Press, available from Amazon.com, $11.16 ea + S&H.