AN AMERICAN SICKNESS
Local Hospital Highlights National Crisis
Anyone interested in learning how American healthcare became so expensive and inefficient is encouraged to read “An American Sickness” by Elisabeth Rosenthal.
Dr. Rosenthal, physician turned journalist, is a former New York Times correspondent and current Editor in Chief at Kaiser Health News.
Unlike any other publication, “An American Sickness” concisely guides the reader through our $3 trillion healthcare system, exposing causes and offering fixes for overpriced care and escalating health insurance premiums.
Hospital mergers have fueled healthcare inflation. Dr. Rosenthal uses Sutter Health’s statewide merger to prove the point. The following excerpt from “An American Sickness” discusses events which Dr. Kevin Caldwell and I witnessed during our years on the Board of Directors of Sutter Coast Hospital, and illustrates why the Del Norte Healthcare District fought so hard to (successfully) stop Sutter’s plans for our community.
If not for our community opposition to Sutter Health, we would have seen a 50% bed cut, tripling of Medicare fees, more emergency patient transfers, and the end to local ownership of Sutter Coast Hospital.
Anyone wishing to help the Del Norte Healthcare District further its mission of meeting the healthcare needs of our residents and visitors may contact any of the Directors listed on this website.
My heartfelt thanks to the thousands of citizens who have helped the Del Norte Healthcare District realize its goals.
Sincerely,
Gregory Duncan, M.D.
Director, Del Norte Healthcare District
Chief of Surgery, Sutter Coast Hospital
