Fixing Medical Prices

Fixing Medical Prices explores the activities of a largely unknown but highly powerful committee affiliated with the American Medical Association (AMA) that advises Medicare on the relative value of different medical services. Unwittingly or not, its recommendations set off a chain reaction that impacts all Americans. Medicare follows most of its fee recommendations, which are modeled by private insurers and federal and state programs. The book adds a new perspective to debates about the cost of healthcare, interest group influence on public policies, the role of experts in policymaking and regulation, and the past and future of the medical profession.--