There is very little denying that American healthcare leaves a lot to be desired, but what exactly is the problem? From systemic racism in medicine to monetary incentive driving policy and patient care, there is a lot to explore about the ailing, if not failing, healthcare system. While the United States spends the most on healthcare, the population’s well-being doesn’t reflect the expense. Still, there is hope to be had and a history to that deserves a deeper dive. Get better informed about the issues and proactive about the healthcare you receive with these insightful reads.

Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Dr. Uché Blackstock

A second generation Black, female physician, Dr. Uché Blackstock’s first exposure to healthcare was watching her mother lead a team of women as they served their patients. But it wasn’t until she began practicing medicine herself that she was really able to see the disparity of care within the Black community. Confronted with the shocking reality of the racial inequity in medicine, Dr. Blackstock sought to make changes from within eventually leading to full-fledged activism. In this book, which is part memoir, part indictment of the system, she explores the history, the problem and ends with a strong call to action for all.

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The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine by M.D. Ricardo Nuila

For anyone seeking hope and for doctors seeking an opportunity to make a difference, Dr. Nuila shows the way. Sharing the story of five patients, Dr. Nuila tells of the terribly broken experience each of them had in the modern American healthcare system. Each suffered until they arrived at Ben Taub, the county hospital where Dr. Nuila works. In telling their tale, he also shows how good healthcare does not only go to those with good insurance. His innovative model is one that other doctors can replicate and other patients can hopefully seek out.

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Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell

While it is easy to get down about all that medicine isn’t doing well, there needs to be room also for celebrating what has been done. Women in White Coats shares the noble history of female physicians and the astounding impact they had on the profession. Following the three women who broke the glass ceiling, this book tells a rich and detailed history of not only physicians themselves, but how healthcare for women was changed forever.

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An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back by Elisabeth Rosenthal

This book has been called the “definitive guide” to the defunct healthcare system in American. From the exploitation of patients, to the outrageous cost of insurance, to the unbelievably high medical bills and the impotent politicians, Elizabeth Rosenthal’s book pulls no punches when laying out the problems. However, as the title would imply, Americans do not need to remain helpless victims of a corrupt, business-minded industry. She exposes the rot and the path forward.

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Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington

In order to understand some of the present day concerns in medicine, a long hard gaze into the past is required, particularly within the Black community, where distrusts and dissociation from the medical industry runs deep. With meticulous research, Harriet A. Washington exposes the heinous history of private institutions, prisons, and our government using Black bodies for research without consent, autopsies without authorization and worse. From slavery to present day, the system’s relationship with African American’s has created a ripple effect within medicine that every person should be informed about.

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The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care–and How to Fix It by Marty Makary M.D.

This book confronts the financial reality of medical care costs head on. As one in five people live with a medical bill in debt collection, Dr. Marty Makary explores the hidden costs of healthcare while examining the better models out there that seek to reform the system.

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Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again by Eric Topol MD

It is a rare, lucky occurrence to receive personalized care in today’s system. There’s no heart in the doctor-patient relationship. Crowded by bureaucracy, overwhelmed by volume and controlled by forces that don’t resemble anything close to “care” Dr. Topol still has hope. But it lies somewhere unexpected. He believes the future of more human-centric healthcare lies in AI. As we all approach the artificial intelligence era, this book takes a hopeful look at how it can improve a system’s humanity, rather than taking it from them. By removing the tasks that distract doctors from one-to-one care, Dr. Topol believes that a more connected form of medicine can flourish again.

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The Long Fix: Solving America’s Health Care Crisis with Strategies that Work for Everyone by Vivian Lee MD

As both a physician and a CEO in healthcare, Dr. Vivian Lee takes a practical and holistic approach to resolving the issue that goes beyond picking apart high costs and business interests. Instead, she sets her sights on a system that is invested in actual health and preventative care, creating wellness from the patients all the way up. She is both realistic and positive in her plan for the future of medicine.

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