How to Make a Killing: Blood, Death and Dollars in American Medicine [Paperback]

As Featured on A rich and sweeping saga that is, sadly, a quintessentially American story: how a miracle medical machine transformed into profit machine, sick and suffering patients be damned. [A] grimly fascinating and humane expos?.& [E]ye-opening. An important book holding to account those who abuse the system, from the local strip mall dialysis center to the halls of the U.S. Capitol. Tom Mueller goes deep, then wide, then straight for the jugular of the corporate predators who are getting rich by exploiting the poor and vulnerable. This book raised my blood pressure by at least thirty points. I loved Tom Muellers beautifully written and fascinating account of both the miraculous possibilities of medical technology and the perils of poorly structured markets. There is universal medical care in the United States, but only for kidney disease. How a program started by Richard Nixon and corrupted by finance has saved lives, and cost them, is the story of modern America. A terrifying story of profit before patients, and a chilling glimpse of what can happen when private companies are allowed to take charge of healthcare. We have accepted too much for too long. There are those who will say that the book exaggerates and that things he reports dont happen. Maybe they dont in some/most clinics, but even if they happen in a few clinics, we can do better. We urge you to stop what youre doing, buy this book, and read it from cover to cover. The book presents nothing short of an indictment of rabid capitalism run amok, effectively turning what should be a life-saving branch of medicine into a criminal enterprise. A brilliant expose of one of the darkest corners of healthcare. This story must be toldto protect some of Americas most vulnerable of patients, but also the people who care for them. Tom Mueller does a fantastic job of meticulously categorizing and explaining all of the abuses of power. I highly recommend A must-read for clinicians, patients, economilãU