The Great American Healthcare Scam: How Kickbacks, Collusion and Propaganda Have Exploded Healthcare Costs in the United States

by David Belk, Paul Belk

The purpose of this book is to effectively untangle and expose nearly all of the deceptions that occur in medical billing, prescription drug pricing and the health insurance industry in the U.S. Throughout the book I use actual medical bills and receipts along with data I've obtained from the financial disclosures of hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and government databases to back up each and every claim I make.I guarantee this book will make your head spin because, as bad as you think our healthcare system is, it's actually far worse and this book will show exactly why and how that's the case. Also, even though many people think they know what the health insurance companies are attempting to do, they're probably wrong.David Belk got his medical degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and has a solo practice in Alameda California. He began exposing irregularities in medical billing and prescription drug pricing with his website The True Cost of Healthcare in 2011.His brother Paul Belk got his PhD in medical physics from a joint program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. He works as a senior scientist in the medical industry.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published March 9, 2020

Reviews

[Colson Files · Rating 5 out of 5]

He breaks down very complex systems of healthcare into more digestible pieces of information. From a physician’s perspective so walk in knowing there is bias but overall thought the author did a good job.

[David Classing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to give this a 5 star rating, but I cannot. Most of Dr. Belk's writings about the pharmacy industry are simply incorrect on their face, and as such the rating is negatively affected.

He argues that retail pharmacies are complicit in high prices, and that they are out to systematically gouge patients. The facts are quite the opposite. Pharmacies are bound by contracts by PBMs, which prohibit pharmacists from informing patients that a cash price might be less than using their insurance. Some states, like Ohio, have passed legislation that allows pharmacists to inform patients, while voiding those contractual terms. Moreover, he claims pharmacies receive kickbacks from PBMs, which again, is patently false. PBMs are the single-most detrimental institution that affects US drug costs.

What Dr. Belk left out, either by choice, misunderstanding or simply lack of researching the topic, is that PBMs regularly take back funds from pharmacies--often many months after a claim is paid--under Medicare Part D plans in the form of a DIR fee. The absence of these fees from his book dismayed me greatly, since these are the most detrimental fees that harm your community pharmacy.

Knowing that his research is incorrect about his book causes me to wonder about how well-researched his book is when detailing hospital and physician billing. I give him the benefit of the doubt, however, because of his standing of owning his medical practice.

I would encourage readers of this book to take at face-value the hospital and physician billing techniques, as well as his data about US health outcomes (as my own research has shown similar findings), but to do their own research about pharmacy issues. I would encourage Dr. Belk to conduct additional research into the retail pharmacy side for his subsequent editions.

[Michael F McGraw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and Eye Opening!

My biggest fears are really true and the entire healthcare system is completely subverted. What have we done to our nation and how can we stop this destruction of our country? I’m mad as hell and going to find ways to get the word out about the great America Healthcare Scam. Thank you for being brave enough to blow this whistle loud and clear.

[Steven P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best explanation ever about the incestuous relationships in the insurance, medical and healthcare communities. You will not be able to find a copy of this great book anywhere, as it was so revealing, the corrupt establishment appears to have successfully erased it, even from the internet.

[Anne Schelhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives numerous examples of how the american healthcare system became expensive and ineffective and some things you can do about it.