Name: Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying
Author: Brad Spellberg

About the Book

As Americans, we spend trillions of dollars more on healthcare than anyone else in the world, yet we have shorter lifespans. Patients are crushed by medical debt, sometimes forced to choose between paying for medications, rent, or food. Healthcare workers are burned out from being trapped in a broken system—one that has been the greatest rip-off of the American people this century. In Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying, Dr. Brad Spellberg tells the story of this tragic failure of American healthcare, from excess deaths to maddening inefficiencies, crushing costs to medical bankruptcies, and bizarre billing practices to absurd waste (learn what a “Johnson rod” is and how it affects your health). Dr. Spellberg presents a real-world solution for a better future that differs from the healthcare proposals discussed in the media. Most importantly, he shows us how we can do better—for our families, our businesses, and our society as a whole.

Praise

“Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying is a tour de force. Dr. Spellberg has written a timely, insightful, and easy-to-read narrative that weaves the personal experiences of a leading US physician with well-researched data. He convincingly connects the failings of our antiquated, profit-driven health care system to the unconscionably high costs that American families--and American businesses--are forced to pay. Broken, Bankrupt, and Dying will persuade even the skeptics that the United States can transition to a system in which every one of us has access to the care we need and can afford.”

— Wendell Potter, New York Times bestselling author, and former health insurance industry communications director

“Always thought provoking and provocative, Dr. Spellberg has many prudent observations regarding--and recommendations for--reforming the US healthcare system. He ties together actual patient experiences to illustrate important systematic flaws that require prompt attention. This makes his analysis eminently readable to a wide audience, while not compromising the rigor of his analysis. Both patients and policy makers, irrespective of their political perspectives, should seriously consider his suggested remedies.”

— Andrew Shorr, MD MBA, chief of pulmonary critical care medicine, MedStar, Washington DC

About Brad Spellberg

Brad Spellberg Dr. Brad Spellberg is chief medical officer at the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center, and the associate dean for clinical affairs at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Internationally respected as an expert in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Dr. Spellberg has authored more than two hundred scientific publications, including his award-winning Rising Plague, named Outstanding Academic Title in 2009 by Choice magazine. Dr. Spellberg is also prominently featured in the documentary film, Resistance, and in the PBS Frontline episode, "Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria."