This book provides an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the health care reform legislation. It explains how doctors, patients, and families can determine the success or failure of the legislation over time. The author describes how to ensure that this landmark legislation succeeds in achieving its goals and proposes an accounting of steps that elected representatives can take in order to improve the bill. The text cuts through the political rhetoric and focuses on the core issue: what needs to be done to preserve the ability to provide the best possible care for patients and to fulfill the societal mission of providing care for citizens independent of their financial means.