Are We Feeling Better Yet?

Book excerpt: Arguably, no other contemporary issue has stirred so passionate debate as health care reform. In this collection of 21 essays, women from around the country advance this discussion by recounting their individual efforts to access and receive quality health care within the formidable structure of the U.S. health care system. Their many voices speak with clarity, poignancy, and humor about situations familiar to all who have entered a health care setting on behalf of themselves or their loved ones. These penetrating stories cover a spectrum of health care conditions, but they unify around themes of strong self-advocacy and personal empowerment. The book is an enlightening read bot only for health acre consumers, but also for health care students, professionals, and for health policymakers.