Beginnings Count : The Technological Imperative in American Health Care. A Twentieth Century Fund Book

This intriguing book argues that the devotion of middle-class Americans to medical technology helps explain the high cost and inadequate distribution of health care in the US. It gives a fascinating account of three machines - the iron lung, the dialysis machine, and the respirator - and of three turning points in health policy - Blue Cross, Medicare, and the failure of the Clinton Health Security Act.