Author: Duncan S. MacLean MD

Segment 4 – Healthcare Costs

This segment reviews the relentless growth of healthcare spending in the U.S. In Segments 2 & 3, we looked at the history of medical care in the U.S. and the birth of employer-based health insurance, along with landmark enactment Medicare and Medicaid. We looked at failed healthcare reform initiatives. This history tells us how we … Continue reading Segment 4 – Healthcare Costs →

Segment 3 – Healthcare Reform Successes & Failures

In Segment 2, we looked at the history of medical care in the U.S. until 1965, the year Congress enacted Medicare and Medicaid. In Segment 3 we will look at reform movements, starting with Medicare and Medicaid. We will look at why later reforms failed and where that leaves us now. By the early 1960s, … Continue reading Segment 3 – Healthcare Reform Successes & Failures →

Segment 2 – Brief History of U.S. Healthcare

In Segment 2, I will answer the question, How Did We Get Here? I’ll give a whirlwind tour of the history of medical care in the U.S., and I’ll also look at the birth of health insurance. Let’s start with looking at healthcare in the Colonial period. The most famous doctor at the time was … Continue reading Segment 2 – Brief History of U.S. Healthcare →

Segment 1 – Welcome to Explaining U.S. Healthcare

This is the first of a 10-part series in which Duncan MacLean MD explains the U.S. healthcare problem and how to fix it. Dr. MacLean has 40 years experience with medical practice and healthcare policy. You know, almost every day my patients have been asking me, What is the problem with U.S. healthcare? Of course, … Continue reading Segment 1 – Welcome to Explaining U.S. Healthcare →