America's Bitter Pill

Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System

By: Steven Brill

Narrated by: Dan Woren

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • “A tour de force . . . a comprehensive and suitably furious guide to the political landscape of American healthcare . . . persuasive, shocking.”—The New York Times

America’s Bitter Pill is Steven Brill’s acclaimed book on how the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was written, how it is being implemented, and, most important, how it is changing—and failing to change—the rampant abuses in the healthcare industry. It’s a fly-on-the-wall account of the titanic fight to pass a 961-page law aimed at fixing America’s largest, most dysfunctional industry. It’s a penetrating chronicle of how the profiteering that Brill first identified in his trailblazing Time magazine cover story continues, despite Obamacare. And it is the first complete, inside account of how President Obama persevered to push through the law, but then failed to deal with the staff incompetence and turf wars that crippled its implementation.

But by chance America’s Bitter Pill ends up being much more—because as Brill was completing this book, he had to undergo urgent open-heart surgery. Thus, this also becomes the story of how one patient who thinks he knows everything about healthcare “policy” rethinks it from a hospital gurney—and combines that insight with his brilliant reporting. The result: a surprising new vision of how we can fix American healthcare so that it stops draining the bank accounts of our families and our businesses, and the federal treasury.

Praise for America’s Bitter Pill

“An energetic, picaresque, narrative explanation of much of what has happened in the last seven years of health policy . . . [Brill] has pulled off something extraordinary.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A thunderous indictment of what Brill refers to as the ‘toxicity of our profiteer-dominated healthcare system.’ ”—Los Angeles Times

“A sweeping and spirited new book [that] chronicles the surprisingly juicy tale of reform.”—The Daily Beast

“One of the most important books of our time.”—Walter Isaacson

“Superb . . . Brill has achieved the seemingly impossible—written an exciting book about the American health system.”—The New York Review of Books

Best Non-Fiction since Game Change

I read on average two books each week. Steven's brilliant style, clever approach and direct questioning is the heart of a book that should be part of the curriculum in high school civics/social studies classes. Truly enthralled with this work. Don't miss this because it effects everyone going forward for decades to come.

Messed up Health Care System

I liked the story, although I'm not sure I agree with the author's proposed solutions, but found it frustrating that our system is so messed up.

Well researched

History on why US healthcare sucks

Very good and very interesting- overwhelming detail on why politics is the plague of government

Great initial read on Healthcare problems

Provided overview and insights into current situation and the political aspects that need to be addressed

So informative

This book ought to be required reading to be a US citizen (and registered voter)...