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You are here > Home > Reading Lists > Politics, Policy & Reform > Uninsured in America: Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity Uninsured in America: Life and
Death in the Land of Opportunity Softcover: 270 pages Hardcover: 270 pages "Uninsured is both compassionate and insightful. Necessary reading for all policy makers and anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how our health care system must be reformed. " - Judy Norsigian, Executive Director, Our Bodies Ourselves Based on interviews with 120 uninsured men and women and dozens of medical providers, policymakers, and advocates from around the nation, this book takes a fresh look at one of the most important social issues facing the United States today. The vivid and moving stories of those interviewed illustrate the complicated dilemmas - including full-time family caregiving, sudden illness, self-employment, layoffs, and on-the-job injuries - faced by those trying to balance medical problems with housing costs and other daily necessities. Reaching beyond statistics and prevalent assumptions, Uninsured in America goes to the heart of why more than forty million Americans are falling through the cracks in the health care system, and what it means for society as a whole when so many people suffer the consequences of inadequate medical care. "This important work gives a voice to some of the 44 million Americans who are at the center of the debate over coverage for the uninsured in this country. While there is much discussion of how to address this crisis, these individuals tell us why we must solve this problem: the costs and consequences of living without health insurance are dire." - Karen Davis, Ph.D., President of the Commonwealth Fund "A vivid, indignant, and important book, and it does one thing better than any other before: Uninsured makes the abandoned millions visible again. Read it. You will not see the people at a subway stop, behind a cash register, or in your government the same way again." - Atul Gawande, M.D., author of Complications "The next time someone tells you the United States has 'the best health care system in the world,' ask them to read this powerful, heartbreaking book. Never have the real stories of America's uninsured been told with such clarity and insight." - John E. McDonough, DPH, Health Care For All, Boston Susan Starr Sered is Senior Research Associate at Suffolk University's Center for Women's Health and Human Rights, and former Research Director at Harvard University's Center for the Study of World Religions. She is a medical anthropologist and the author of numerous articles and books. Rushika Fernandopulle, MD, is a physician who serves on the clinical staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He was the first Executive Director of the Harvard Interfaculty Program for Health Systems Improvement, and is the author of a number of books and articles, including Footsteps: Profiles of Forty Remarkable Health Care Leaders (2005), and Health Care Policy Explained (1995). "Sered, an anthropologist, and Fernandopulle, a doctor specializing in public-health policy, provide a troubling look at Americans without health insurance, some of whom must choose between food and medical treatment. They interviewed more than 120 uninsured Americans in Texas, Mississippi, Idaho, Illinois, and Massachusetts as well as physicians, administrators, and health-policy officials. The result is a collection of heartrending stories of the 'caste of the ill, the infirm, and the marginally employed.' The authors describe the 'death spiral' of people who lack insurance for myriad reasons - including self-employment and divorce - and whose illnesses cannot be adequately treated. Their medical conditions inevitably deteriorate - small tumors metastasize, diabetes leads to amputation or dialysis treatments - increasing both the costs and the dire consequences. Once individuals are caught in the death spiral, they are unlikely to find a way out. The ultimate impact of this shocking crisis is felt by all Americans in the form of higher health-care costs and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria as conditions go untreated. This is a stark and disturbing book." - Booklist, American Library Association If you are interested in policy or books about health care reform, please see our up-to-date collection here: Politics, Policy & Reform. 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