Review of Ethically Challenged

[AntonelaMaria]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ethically Challenged" by Laura Katz Olson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Ethically Challenged: Private Equity Storms US Health Care by Laura Katz Olson is an informative nonfiction book. As the title says, this book is mainly focused on private equity and its influence on our everyday lives, with a special focus on health care. Private equity (PE) is an investment form where funds from private investors are used to buy public companies or invest directly in private companies. In short, professional investors, pension funds, insurance companies, successful companies, or wealthy individuals put money into a venture capital fund managed by a specialized company. As per the author's warning, it is an expanding sector of the economy that is slowly taking over the most important parts of our lives.

It is especially scary to know that a financial firm is taking control of health services. If PE's first goal is to make more money, where does that leave us? And by "us," I mean regular people using these services. The author places a strong emphasis on PE involvement with drug rehabilitation, autism and eating disorder centers, dentists, dermatologists, and homecare facilities. She supports her claims with research and interviews with people directly involved with PE.

My main takeaway from reading this book is the number of facts and information I learned while reading it. Furthermore, reading this book was shocking but also a wake-up call to be more involved in learning about health care and the direction it is headed. This is a teachable, informative, and compelling book. Moreover, I like how current this book is. The author addresses COVID-19 and the pandemic's influence on PE's tactics.

I didn't find anything negative to say about this book. Sure, it is a USA-centered narrative, but it is so important and valuable no matter who the reader is. I also think that it can be a useful read for economic beginners and, in the same way, for professionals.

There is only one spacing issue I noticed in the whole book. It is safe to say this is a professionally edited book. Besides that, it is a book that is easy to follow with an appendix, glossary, abbreviations, notes, bibliography, and index. You will not get lost while reading this book. For all those and the previously mentioned reasons, I can't rate this book with anything less than a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars.

I would recommend this book to all Americans, or if you live in the United States, just read this book. Knowledge is power, and you all need to be informed about the state of your health system, economics, government decisions, and its intersection with all parts of your life. If you are a curious reader like me and want to learn more about topics you don't know much about, then this is a book for you too.

 

 

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Ethically Challenged
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[Patty Allread]

As it applies to the healthcare industry, private equity is something I didn't know about, and I'm sure many others know little or nothing. This book could be beneficial for understanding the situation. Thanks for reviewing it.

[Alice Fu]

its always devastating to see how much money impacts the industry and screws over everyone who actually needs help. Thanks for writing up this review, I think this is a book that everyone should check out if they can

[Christopherio]

There's a lot to be learned from this book. it explains the ways that the healthcare facility is being taken over by financial firms thereby losing sight of their core value and purpose. thanks for the review.

[Mrs D O]

Thanks for such a comprehensive review of this book. From what you say it sounds as if the author bravely reveals a lot of information that the investors would rather keep quiet.
It looks interesting to read and sadly confirm the future exploitation of healthcare needs in many countries.