Virtually everyone agrees that our health care system needs reform. But what kind of reform? Some want a return to the system that prevailed in the 1950s. Others would like to see the adaptation of the government-run systems prevalent in other countries. The latter, national health insurance or single-payer health insurance, appears to be gaining ground in the United States. Before Americans find themselves participating in a health care system that has failed in every country it was adopted, we should be asking ourselves whether such a system is effective and efficient. In Lives at Risk, the authors examine the critical failures of national health insurance systems without focusing on minor blemishes or easily correctable problems. In doing so, the purpose is to identify the problems common to all countries with national health insurance and to explain why these problems emerge. Most national health care systems are in a state of sustained internal crisis as costs rise and the stated goals of universal access and quality care are not met. In almost all cases, the reason is the same: the politics of medicine. The problems of government-run health care systems flow inexorably from the fact that they are government-run rather than market driven.

Virtually everyone agrees that our health care system needs reform. But what kind of reform? Some want a return to the system that prevailed in the 1950s. Others would like to see the adaptation of the government-run systems prevalent in other countries. The latter, national health insurance or single-payer health insurance, appears to be gaining ground in the United States. Before Americans find themselves participating in a health care system that has failed in every country it was adopted, we should be asking ourselves whether such a system is effective and efficient. In Lives at Risk, the authors examine the critical failures of national health insurance systems without focusing on minor blemishes or easily correctable problems. In doing so, the purpose is to identify the problems common to all countries with national health insurance and to explain why these problems emerge. Most national health care systems are in a state of sustained internal crisis as costs rise and the stated goals of universal access and quality care are not met. In almost all cases, the reason is the same: the politics of medicine. The problems of government-run health care systems flow inexorably from the fact that they are government-run rather than market driven.

Want to improve your craft? Then this is a good place to start. Poems do not simply happen, they are made - Poetry: Tools & Techniques shows how to make them. In plain, straight-forward language, this practical guide introduces the devices and techniques used by successful poets. Poetry: Tools & Techniques is a starting point for writers to find their own direction rather than a definitive textbook on how to write in the proper and approved manner. Poetry: Tools & Techniques investigates the structure of language and how it conveys meaning - and from that shows how to create and use a poetic, a philosophy of language, to shape and inform your writing. The book encourages poets to explore the limits of language and discover how to make language speak beyond itself - to make language say what it was not designed to say, to express the inexpressible. Poetry: Tools & Techniques provides an introduction to the basic elements of poetry - metaphor, imagery, punctuation, syntax, rhythm, etc. - the actual techniques and devices that go into making a poem, right down to the nuts and bolts structural parts of language - the conjunctions, prepositions, articles, etc. - and shows how they affect poetic language. Whether you are a beginning poet or an experienced writer, Poetry: Tools & Techniques will help you improve your craft.