'The Price We Pay' Argues Rising Health Care Costs Undermine Public Trust In Medicine

Americans are losing trust in their doctors, says Dr. Marty Makary in his new book, The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care — And How To Fix It. The reason, he argues, is that medical care is just too expensive.

A surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University, Makary says that hospitals' predatory financial practices — like hospitals that sue their patients for unpaid bills, or hitting patients with surprise bills for tens of thousands of dollars — are a major threat to the doctor-patient relationship.

He points to a 2014 poll, in which only 23% of Americans say they have a great deal of confidence in the health care system. The expensive, unpredictable bills, he says, are to blame.

"When you shed your coat, and talk to people about their