Neil Davis
Author of Aurora Watcher's Handbook (Natural History)
About the Author
Neil Davis is emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Auroral studies using rocket, photographic and television techniques have been the main thrust of his scientific efforts at the University of Alaska, and with NASA, but he has worked in other fields as well, show more including seismology and radio communications. In 1976 he began a regular newspaper column illuminating aspects of science for the general public show less
Works by Neil Davis
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1932
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Alaska, Fairbanks (PhD ∙ geophysics)
- Short biography
- T. Neil Davis is a professor emeritus of geophysics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the author of several books. Born in Greeley, Colorado, Davis spent most of his working career at the Geophysical Institute, pioneering the use of all-sky and low-level light cameras for the study of the aurora borealis and conducting rocket studies of the aurora. With Masahisa Sugiura (while both were at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) he introduced the AE (auroral electrojet) index now commonly used as a measure of solar-terrestrial interaction. A student of Beno Gutenberg and Charles Richter at Caltech, he also has done work in observational seismology.
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Alaska, USA
Members
Reviews
Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes on America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter by Neil Davis
I highly recommend this book; it enraged me. It's a great, in-depth look at just how powerful the "healthcare" lobby in the US is, and is a great argument for the public healthcare option being considered by the current administration.
While the story of the book is about how the man writing it went about getting care for his cancer-stricken, uninsured adult daughter, the research he did in pursuit of that brings to light some very chilling things about the US system of medicine.
One of the show more things that struck me hardest was this: the US government spent millions of dollars researching and developing taxol, one of the most common cancer drugs in use today. In some truly horrifying and probably illegal sleight-of-hand, the decades of research, production, marketing and even the generic name was turned over to for-profit pharmaceutical giant, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, in a way that did not benefit either the US government or the US people. Further, all federal supplies of the source ingredient (the Pacific yew tree) were also granted to BMS for nearly no cost. This company then produced & marketed the drug to make billions. Worse, even the US government programs (Medicare & VA) had to pay full price to use the drug for their patients.
Bristol-Meyers Squibb & the US government conspired to screw US citizens & cancer patients completely over.
Again, I highly recommend this book, but be prepared to be angry when reading it, and to have your view of our medical industry significantly changed. show less
While the story of the book is about how the man writing it went about getting care for his cancer-stricken, uninsured adult daughter, the research he did in pursuit of that brings to light some very chilling things about the US system of medicine.
One of the show more things that struck me hardest was this: the US government spent millions of dollars researching and developing taxol, one of the most common cancer drugs in use today. In some truly horrifying and probably illegal sleight-of-hand, the decades of research, production, marketing and even the generic name was turned over to for-profit pharmaceutical giant, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, in a way that did not benefit either the US government or the US people. Further, all federal supplies of the source ingredient (the Pacific yew tree) were also granted to BMS for nearly no cost. This company then produced & marketed the drug to make billions. Worse, even the US government programs (Medicare & VA) had to pay full price to use the drug for their patients.
Bristol-Meyers Squibb & the US government conspired to screw US citizens & cancer patients completely over.
Again, I highly recommend this book, but be prepared to be angry when reading it, and to have your view of our medical industry significantly changed. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes on America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter by Neil Davis
Davis's Mired in the Health Care Morass is a geeky look at how the medical billing system operates (and screws so many of us over). Pros: you gain a visceral understanding of these problems. Cons: limited in geographical scope, data is already out of date.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes on America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter by Neil Davis
In 1994 Patricia Davis faced an increasingly common dilemma. Symptoms indicated that she should seek medical care immediately. Having just started a new job, with health insurance that didn't kick in for six more months, she was trying to put off seeing a doctor until then. Three months into this job the need to seek medical attention had become inescapable. Her diagnosis was lung cancer. She did not have insurance yet and her cancer was now a “pre-existing condition”. Now she was faced show more with tens of thousands of dollars in potential medical bills that she could not afford to pay. Enter her father, Neil Davis, who offered to pay her bills to the best of his ability.
It didn't take Davis long to notice huge discrepancies in the billing. Thus began his education on medical billing practices in the United States. He discovered that uninsured patients are billed fees that are astronomically higher than the fees the paid by insurance companies on behalf of insured patients and by Medicaid on behalf of Medicaid recipients. This is to cover expenses that have not been paid either by indigent patients or by ordinary middle class patients who cannot cover their uninsured expenses. The many charts and statistics he uses to illustrate his findings can be hard to understand at times, but believe it or not they accurately illustrate his point that the complexity of the American system creates expense. He skewers some fondly held myths about the U.S. Health care system and shines light on the health care systems in other nations. He also gives his prescription for how the U.S. Health care system can be changed.
Neil Davis has experiences in being a consumer of health care that most of us never hope to have, but which will become increasingly commonplace as the health care becomes increasingly broken. His answers to the health care crises (universal, uniform payments, distributed to patients regardless of ability to pay, regulation of drug companies) are well thought out and do not come from a place of a particular political ideology but instead from his own experiences and research. His book is well researched and a convincing call to radically overhaul the American health care system from someone who has experienced the worst that the American health care system has to offer. show less
It didn't take Davis long to notice huge discrepancies in the billing. Thus began his education on medical billing practices in the United States. He discovered that uninsured patients are billed fees that are astronomically higher than the fees the paid by insurance companies on behalf of insured patients and by Medicaid on behalf of Medicaid recipients. This is to cover expenses that have not been paid either by indigent patients or by ordinary middle class patients who cannot cover their uninsured expenses. The many charts and statistics he uses to illustrate his findings can be hard to understand at times, but believe it or not they accurately illustrate his point that the complexity of the American system creates expense. He skewers some fondly held myths about the U.S. Health care system and shines light on the health care systems in other nations. He also gives his prescription for how the U.S. Health care system can be changed.
Neil Davis has experiences in being a consumer of health care that most of us never hope to have, but which will become increasingly commonplace as the health care becomes increasingly broken. His answers to the health care crises (universal, uniform payments, distributed to patients regardless of ability to pay, regulation of drug companies) are well thought out and do not come from a place of a particular political ideology but instead from his own experiences and research. His book is well researched and a convincing call to radically overhaul the American health care system from someone who has experienced the worst that the American health care system has to offer. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Mired in the Health Care Morass: An Alaskan Takes on America's Dysfunctional Medical System for his Uninsured Daughter by Neil Davis
An excellent book that focuses on the state of health care costs for the uninsured. The under-insured and the insured have much to gain from the exhaustive statistical details in this book. Written by the father of an adult daughter who found herself with a cancer diagnosis and uninsured, decided to document his (and his daughter's) journey through the maze of how a patient is charged the oftentimes unbelievable amounts of money for treatment. The book is not a sentimental one but a show more refreshing look at a father's attempt to understand how the health care system in the US charges for each procedure, medication, in and outpatient visit and makes a compelling argument and a very strong case for reform in the health insurance "industry" along with an accurate look at how we as consumers can and should take charge of our health care. Otherwise, we may end up paying for mistakes (documented in the book) of the various personnel in making coding errors or charging according to outdated schedules. Anyone facing a chronic disease--anyone who uses their health insurance at all, this book is an easy read with documentation. The only drawback I found was that the author cited many websites for sources. I would prefer more print and peer-reviewed citations however, these may be difficult to obtain considering the subject matter. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Statistics
- Works
- 15
- Members
- 133
- Popularity
- #152,659
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 20
- Favorited
- 1
