Just Enough Healthcare: A pick-up-and-read-through primer on the US healthcare system

Healthcare is complex, and occupies a critically important space in American political, social, and financial conversations. There is no other sector poised to be of more consequence and significance than healthcare, especially in light of the recent viral pandemic and the political center-stage accorded to healthcare delivery and access. As a physician and informatician, having worked in healthcare for more than two decades and served as Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer in health insurance and health information technology firms, I have been astounded by the lack of understanding of this sector. I put it down to the fact that healthcare is broad and its segments are isolated from each other in terms of the knowledge of their functioning. To address this, I created a first-of-its-kind resource for anyone wanting to get an overview of the US healthcare system in less than a day while reading fewer than 100 pages. This book's unique ability to connect diverse points in the system will allow the reader to understand all perspectives in this domain. After reading this book, you will be able to answer questions like: - Why can't I get an estimate at the physician's office and the hospital about what my visit and treatments will cost?- What are healthcare data and analytics?- How do I make sense of my medical bills and the Explanation of Benefits documents?- How does a physician treat patients?- How do physicians, hospitals, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and pharmacies make money?- What are generics and biosimilars?- What is a PBM?Topics covered include: - Healthcare Systems and Providers- Health Insurance and Payers- The Life Science Industry including Pharmaceutical Companies- Medical Billing and Payment, Healthcare Data and Analytics- The Government Role in US Healthca