Future of Health: T.R. Reid: A Quest for Better Health Care September 8, 2009

According to the World Health Organization, the United States, the richest country in the world, ranks 37th overall on healthcare costs, quality, and coverage. As politicians, providers and just plain folks debate how to reform America's healthcare system, NPR commentator and author T.R. Reid took a more global view: He visited successful healthcare systems around the world, examining why other countries have better, fairer, and cheaper healthcare than we do and looking for ideas we could use. In his new book, The Healing of America, Reid concludes that one key lesson is that most foreign countries do not use socialized medicine. Japan has 99 percent private hospitals and 5,000 health-insurance companies, for example, but provides universal coverage and excellent care for less than half what we spend per capita. Presented as part of the Future of Health Lecture Series with University Book Store.

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