Rx for health care reform /

Most people agree that the U.S. health-care system must be reformed, and many proposals have been put forth. Some suggest the greater use of free markets, while others argue for more government control. Here, Terry (senior editor, Medical Economics magazine) proposes a mix of both approaches. Specifically, he urges that all primary-care physicians be made to join groups that would be financially accountable for all patient services and compete for patients, conditions that would create new, competitive health-care markets. Regional government authorities would regulate these new markets; large and costly insurance companies would be eliminated. Although the book is interesting, it suffers from several weaknesses: many of the ideas lack adequate conceptual development, and many chapters are written in a rather chatty, lightweight, magazine-like format. A much more authoritative and thoughtful book on this important subject is Arnold S. Relman's A Second Opinion. Not recommended.-Ross Mullner, Sch. of Public Health, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.