The Mediocrity of Health Care
Robin Hanson shouts it from the rooftops. This stuff is one of those great open secrets that's been out there for a couple of decades for people in the know, but somehow hasn't percolated up to the public consciousness. If the facts he outlines were well known the entire debate about health care policy would look very, very different. My favorite study he cites is this Fisher et al (1999) one, which argues based on the frequency of medical mistakes that overall results could actually get *worse* if health care was more available.
On a somewhat related note, I think this book is going on my wishlist.
On a somewhat related note, I think this book is going on my wishlist.