Ep2-Five Trillion on Medical Care, Pennies on Public Health

Why do public health departments have such little power, so few dollars, and are undervalued while their counterparts in the medical care system, especially physicians and hospitals, have influence, money, prestige, and respect

There is no single or simple answer to these questions. But let’s start by looking back at three periods of American health care history: the emergence of the modern public health agency in the mid to late-19th century, the growing power of the American Medical Association in the early 20th century, and the Presidency of Harry Truman in the late 1940s.

The review of these eras reveals a public health system run by government, in a society that has a bias in favor of the private sector and a public health system that must at times balance individual rights against community needs, in a society that is generally unhappy with perceived infringements on individual rights.

The politics of public health are unlikely to change unless public health officials can persuade both policymakers and the public that its work is providing real value and real benefit in everyday life

Chapter Markers

00:00 December 12th: Launch Day and Bagels

01:46 Medical Care Spending vs Public Health

03:47 The Great Sanitary Awakening

07:05 The Rise of the AMA

09:44 Harry Truman's Healthcare Vision

12:22 Why Medical Care Won

14:16 Six Reasons for Limited Influence