Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Healthcare. Edited by Jan Grover. Greenhaven Press Thomson*Gale, 2007. 215 p. $34.95. ISBN 10: 0-7377-3427-2; ISBN 13: 978-0-7377-3427-0.

A good friend of this reviewer, a medical doctor in Australia, said that U.S. citizens had the finest medical services in the world —for those who could afford it. Health care is an issue with employers who may pay all or part of the costs of their employees while expecting the employee to pay any costs for family members. As employers pay less, employees are finding the amount needed to pay for the family membership is becoming prohibitive. When more costs are paid by the employers, the costs of goods produced must be raised to cover these additional expenditures making goods produced more expensive. In other countries, this is covered in part by the government. The debate about health care as a basic right, how to get care provided to all, salvaging the present system, and how or should health care be reformed presents both sides to these issues. Appendixes include a four-page glossary, nine pages of organizations to contact with addresses, Web sites, and a paragraph of additional information, and a five-page bibliography of additional resources. This political issue should certainly surface in the presidential races underway at this time. Because students should be able to discuss these issues, this is a good start for their future research.