RST: T.R. Reid — Will American healthcare compete with world after Obamacare?

What to look for on Radio Smart Talk, Thursday, September 12, 2013:

In his 2010 book, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, T.R. Reid described the healthcare provided and available in several industrialized democratic nations and compared what he found to healthcare in the U.S.

Even though we’ve heard many times that America has the best healthcare in the world, Reid didn’t agree and concluded the U.S. ranked down on the list of nations in quality and availability of care and especially in costs. The U.S. spends 17% of its Gross National Product on healthcare — much more than other countries.

Reid’s book was written before implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. One of its major components — insurance exchanges or marketplaces where the uninsured can shop for low-cost insurance are about to begin in October.

On Thursday’s Radio Smart Talk, T.R. Reid joins us to discuss Obamacare, what it has or could accomplish, if it goes far enough, and will it work to control costs and improve quality.

For more on T.R. Reid’s bestselling book The Healing of America, plus a deeper look at the changing tide of healthcare–check out witf’s Transforming Health. From policy to personal choices this multimedia project takes a comprehensive look at today’s health system. Online at Transforming Health (dot) org. Transforming Health is a partnership of witf, WellSpan Health and PinnacleHealth.

To explore your healthcare and insurance options visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website healthcare.gov.

Listen to the show:

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