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• I know exactly what you mean. I'm a stay at home mom (have been, on and off for 9 years) so we only have one income coming in. My son takes an expensive medication and even with insurance, it is still almost too much to afford every month. Years ago, we tried to get insurance with the government because my husband's insurance was costing us so much money weekly, but we couldn't get it because you can't if you're offered insurance through your work, even if it's too much to afford. It's just crazy! This sounds like a thought provoking book.

  • We also have one income coming in and some months we are in the red just due to co-pays.

• Sounds frustrating, and eye-opening!

• Sounds like a very emotional read from all points. Thanks for the great review.

  ctny

• I know what you mean too. I have Sarcoidosis which can be very bad but I also have MGUS which might turn into Multiple Myeloma. I looked up the cost of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants and there is no way that we could afford them even with insurance. I also found out that if you contact some of the cancer websites, there is a way to get some financial help but it is difficult.

  CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

• I'm glad to see people attacking this dilemma. I used to live in NJ but moved to Texas because I couldn't afford to live there anymore. I also hope that we can reform healthcare in a way that forces it to be competitive (not socialized or monopolized like it is now) and brings healthcare costs down.
  Excellent review.

  • Thanks for the kind words. We're actually moving out of NJ as well. It physically hurts me to write out that tax check every month knowing half of it goes to somebody's pocket.

• I really must read this book. I am Canadian by birth, now a naturalized US citizen and I see the health care issue in a different light from those who are only on one side of the fence as it were. There are goods and bads to both types of health care coverage.
  That said, my dad has been dealing with major health issues in the past few years (and thankfully has come through them) but because he lives in Canada he has not had to pay for any of his treatments. I am certain that if he were living in the United States, he and my mother would have had to declare bankruptcy to afford the same treatments, or go without them.

  I am so sorry for the loss of your father.

  • Hi Suzanne, hope your father gets better. I think most people in the US don't realize that even though we pay premium prices for health care, we are not "really" covered.

• It's hard to read books like this especially when they hit so close to home. I think you are right that this would be a great book for a book club - there is so much in here to discuss.

  Thanks for being on the tour.

• The premise of this book absolutely blows my mind, I'm from Australia where essential medical care is provided by the government. I dread to think of all the family members I would have lost or would be left utterly destitute if we didn't have this system. Yes, it is expensive, but I can't think of anything better for my taxes to be spent on than providing people with the means to have their health taken care of and be financially protected. It's very difficult for me to fathom that people would ever be against this kind of system - denying people appropriate medical care simply because they can't afford it is gobsmackingly evil IMO.

  • The people in the US are against social health care not without good reason. Everything the government touches seems, from some reason, turn from good to bad. Mostly because our politicians put unqualified people in key positions as was proved by hurricane Katarina.

    The good people here are also being manipulated by politicians whose number one priority is being re-elected and getting "campaign donations" (a legalized form of bribery) and the "good of the people" is far, far down the list. Of course "for profit" sick care doesn't help.

    When you get a chance look at rescission - when health insurance companies drop coverage, out of the blue, for those who need most of their care even though they have been paying into the system for decades.

• My brother was in hospital last year, and we had our own crash course on "health coverage". Although his insurance covered a lot (he is a student), the bills were still horrendous. The whole system is poorly structured.

  I really really want to read this author's book - any book. Thanks for this review.

• First, thanks so much for stopping by my book blog! I'm in NJ too (the northern part of the state that got a decent amount of snow today) so totally understand your statements regarding the corrupt state in which we live.

  I also recently lost both my parents (my father just this past January - who died unexpectedly in his sleep - and my Mother almost 3 years ago after a long illness) so I am aware of the really rough health care system in this country. I am also a breast cancer survivor and cannot tell you how many hours my poor husband would spend on the phone with insurance companies when I was going through treatment. It was unbelievable!

  Anyway, I'm glad you got more out of the book than I did (and love to read other people's opinions on books, even the ones I don't particularly like)!