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Charlotte Talks: Diagnosing America's High Health Care Costs

Chris Miller / WFAE

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

America spends more on health care on a per capita basis than the rest of the developed world, yet we're getting less care. Dr. Marty Makary says it's time for patients - and his own industry - to take action.

This program originally aired Sept. 12, 2019

If it's a presidential election, that means there's going to be a parade of health care proposals, but Makary isn't holding his breath for a political solution to what ails America's health care system.

"I have no faith that the government can fix health care," Makary said.

A surgeon and public healthy policy expert at Johns Hopkins University, Makary hit the road to get a better understanding of Americans' negative experience with health care, in particular why we pay so much for it.

In addition to saddling many with hefty bills, Makary worries the current course is eroding public trust in hospitals.

Makary's book, "The Price Way Pay," which was published in the fall of 2019, looks at what, in his view, broke the health care system, and what could be done to stitch it back together.

GUEST

Dr. Marty Makary, professor of health policy, Johns Hopkins University; author of “The Price Way Pay: What Broke American Health Care – And How to Fix It” (@MartyMakary)

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A veteran of Charlotte radio news, Chris joined the "Charlotte Talks" staff in January 2016, but has been listening to WFAE since discovering the station as a high schooler.