America is a marvel of healthcare contradictions. The U.S. boasts some of the best medical technology and most skilled doctors, bombards its residents daily with medical information and news of breakthroughs, yet over 43 million citizens have no healthcare insurance. Blythe Danner narrates this timely look (recently aired on PBS) at America's most vexing human and political dilemma: how to deliver quality, affordable healthcare to all. Reviewing America's growing healthcare crisis as it evolved during the administrations of Presidents Truman through Clinton, the program examines how Americans' deep-seated distrust of government solutions led people to depend on the benefit of employer-provided health insurance. When the '70s brought new treatments and higher costs for drug development, it ushered in a whole new world of managed care and HMO's. Today, patients sometimes have to fight for the right to treatment, while doctors say they no longer act as advocates for them. Using a telling cross-section of patient cases, the documentary successfully juggles the viewpoints of doctors, patients, and healthcare providers. In this debate between public policy and privately held values there are no easy answers, yet the video highlights areas where we could spend more wisely and reduce administrative costs. Who's at risk? We all are. Not a last word, but rather a common sense beginning, this valuable video is recommended for both public and academic collections. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
Healthcare Crisis: Who's at Risk?
(2000) 56 min. $49.98. Issues TV. PPR. ISBN: 0-9702682-0-3. Vol. 15, Issue 6
Healthcare Crisis: Who's at Risk?
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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