CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream: How to Deliver World Class Healthcare to Your Employees at Half the Cost

Dave Chase is one of those quiet innovators who moves mountains through vision, energy, and sheer persistence. With a healthy dose of trickster energy in the mix… Chase is one of the founders of Healthcare Rosetta, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating “adoption of simple, practical, non-partisan fixes to our healthcare system.” He was also CEO/Co-founder of Avado, a digital health company that was acquired by WebMD & Medscape. Given the messed-up state of healthcare at the moment, Chase makes a startling claim: “Healthcare is already fixed.” In other words, we know what works, and how to implement those fixes. On a small scale, everything that's needed is already in place somewhere. It's our job to publicize and scale those fixes until they change the entire system. So if it's so easy, what's standing in our way? As Chase writes in his masterful and infuriating book, The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream, only three trillion things. As in, the amount of money spent on healthcare in the US every year. Much of that money, Chase argues, is misspent on ineffective and/or unnecessarily expensive treatments. The book is a handbook for CEOs who are desperately trying to reduce their organizations' healthcare costs, but it also reads like a crime thriller. On page after page, I found myself shocked at the perverse incentives that reinforce a crooked system. One that costs lives, promotes suffering, and is literally stealing the American dream of middle class prosperity from an entire generation. The good news: every structural fix has already been invented and proven and replicated. It's all laid out in this important book.

This is my husband’s review, not mine. He lost his Kindle a few months ago and refuses to replace it because “it’ll turn up.” Yeah, right, along with his Motorola flip phone, Walkman, and Nolan Ryan rookie card (“It’s around here somewhere. You can’t miss it because it has Jerry Koosman on it too.”) He says this is easily the most practical and timely book on controlling healthcare costs that he has read, and is full of helpful advice that can be implemented right away. It should be on every HR bookshelf and many pages should be dog-eared for future reference. Some of the schemes detailed in this book are outrageous – from wellness vendors snookering employers and screening the stuffing out of employees to PBMs setting new records for opacity in contracting and under-the-table fees from manufacturers to providers charging outrageous fees by (for example) staffing in-network facilities with out-of-network doctors. The carriers make more money, the more of this stuff takes place. The good news is, these are all self-inflicted wounds. This is particularly true of wellness, a single-car accident that can easily be scaled way back, to generate immediate savings far exceeding the vendor fees themselves, because the vendors won’t be sending employees to the doctor all the time with “conditions” they that “identified.” And as self-inflicted wounds, it should be possible using the advice in this book to stop doing them and instead save a ton of money on the health benefit. PS He says this is a more helpful book than his own books -- Why Nobody Believes the Numbers, Cracking Health Costs, and Surviving Workplace Wellness -- though his are way funnier. That's because the wellness industry, if nothing else, is an endless source of comedic material.

I recall hearing the anecdote that every car that comes off the assembly line at a General Motors plant is at a $1,500 USD cost disadvantage to a car from a non-US manufacturer on just the cost of health benefits for GM’s employees alone. The reality is, every US business is now a healthcare business. That is where Dave Chase’s book targeted at American business CEOs starts. It follows, then, that the leaders of these organizations need to tool up on the business of managing the health of their workforces if they are to remain cost competitive in the 21st century global economy. They can no longer operate with no visibility into ROI of health benefits spending, nor drivers of unchecked inflation. What Dave Chase has done in this long overdue book is provide a clear and extremely compelling wake up call for CEOs and CFOs to put much needed scrutiny on how, where and why they are spending significant operating budgets on healthcare for their employees … and concrete steps for how to strip out up to 30% of low-or-zero value expenditures out of this major line item. I took away two main themes from this book: 1. A staggering business case for action In parts I and II, Chase lays out a compelling set of well-researched facts showing how, for decades, US corporations have accepted their employee healthcare spending to be a “Black Box” that they have no visibility into, nor ability to control its inflation year over year. In an era where corporations are ruthless about being cost competitive, turning over every stone of efficiency they can find, it is almost impossible to imagine that there has continued to be this one large line item that has largely been untouched. Some eye-opening statistics that Chase lays out include: • The scope of the opportunity is 150M American lives that are covered by fully insured or self-insured health plans; • At approximately $10K / employee / year, healthcare spending is often the 2nd largest expenditure of companies, after payroll expenses; • It is fully known that at least 10% (closer to 20%) of this spending is fraudulent; and a further 20%+ of this spending is either wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary or even harmful. Some back of the envelope math that one could do from these facts: 175M Americans X $10K/year average spending on health benefits X 10% - 30% unnecessary spending = $175B-$525B of GDP … is on the table to be recaptured by US corporations and either reinvested into their businesses, and/or redistributed to their shareholders. It is no wonder that Chase provokes: "Imagine if a foreign country was causing this kind of collateral damage to our economy. We'd go to war in a second " - Chapter 1: “America Has Gone to War For Much Less” 2. Actionable levers and tools for the C-suite to do something about it – today In parts III and IV, Chase puts together a straight forward blueprint for action. The actions are squarely targeted at CEOs, CFOs and COOs. He points them to 5 high impact lever points to focus on: I. Primary care; II. Transparency on pricing; III. Employee concierge services; IV. Independent third-party administration of health plans; and V. Heightened fiduciary oversight on health insurance spending. Each of these action areas taken alone or in combinations could address the many gaps in the design of today’s health insurance schemes, unlocking significant pools of value. For each big area of opportunity, Chase draws upon rich case studies as well as a suite of tools codified by his Institute to provide tangible and accessible tools, templates, checklists and sample playbooks for employers to get started now. It is clear from the opening sentences of the book, that Dave Chase has had a decades-long fixation with shaking up corporate America about this massive elephant in the room that no one is really addressing. And rightly so. In an era where companies’ ability to stay relevant and compete amidst myriad threats coming from all directions (disruptive startups, future of work, decline of US hegemony), it is sinful that such a low hanging fruit for cost-containment is right under executives’ noses and has been largely ignored. Chase has pulled together all the insights, all the facts, all the real-world case examples that he has collected and observed over his career in the health industry into a one stop shop distillation that only Dave could pull off. Unlike many other writers of healthcare “WTF?” books (and there are many), what Chase accomplishes with this book is refreshingly different – and impactful - in 3 distinct ways: 1. He speaks directly to the CEO, CFO and COO – on terms (and with language) they will understand. [My only remiss is that he did not also directly address boards who have fiduciary oversight duties for the corporation] 2. He does not shy away from the complexity of employee-sponsored healthcare; rather he unpacks it and frames it in a way that a business leader can engage with 3. He brings real, concrete, actionable, straightforward and proven tools to bear. The writing style is also effective in achieving the objectives of this book. Chase powerfully weaves together a well-constructed and logical story with powerful elements such as relevant sidebar vignettes, data charts with eye-popping stats, quotes from industry insiders, and deep dives into leading businesses through well-written 1-page case studies developed by experts in the field with lived experience. Supplementing this is a dedicated website of the Health Rosetta Institute that provides off the shelf tools and templates for executives to act now. I also like that the tools on the Health Rosetta Institute site are dynamic – they are being constructed in an open source way as this movement takes hold, grows in momentum, and learnings are captured and codified. If I had to make one criticism of the book it is that it is more focused than I would like it to be on guiding CEOs through the healthcare industry as designed TODAY. There is a growing consensus that the future of health(care) is going to look almost nothing like it does today. Ie, less dominance of hospitals, less reliance on the physician as the gatekeeper, consumers in control of the majority of their health decisions, data and purchases, unbundling of the business models of the traditional players (including insurers). Many of these changes are on exponential curves given the enabling technologies are software-based (and therefore can scale exponentially), and given consumer pull is driving demand. Yet, the blueprint in Chase’s book largely assumes that health services will continue to be designed and delivered the way they are today. I get why – there is so much that can already be done right now without remodeling the health system through innovation. In all, Chase’s book reminds me of what Peter Senge’s The Necessary Revolution did for the climate disruption movement. As an MBA professor in health strategy, and advisor to innovators in the health industry, this book will be added to my top 5 “must read” health industry books that I would prescribe to anyone who is trying to help fix this broken industry. Chase joins my top 5 authors in putting his life’s work into a book and platform that will start a movement and changes mindsets in a way that (finally) allows a leap in new value to be unlocked. [ The others being – Innovator’s Prescription (Christensen), Redefining Healthcare (Porter), Creative Destruction of Medicine (Topol) and The Patient Will See you Now (Topol).] Although this book is written for corporate America CEOs, I highly recommend it to any one who works (or intends to work) in the health care value net. Especially emerging tech startups who all see the massive inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of this industry, and are trying to bring solutions to bear … but have a really limited understanding of the underbelly of the health industry in America. Dave explains the intricacies in a way that anyone can understand, and should be able to translate that understanding into better products, services and ways of working in this industry. Thank-you Dave for your courage in confronting the people, mindsets and borderline unethical business practices that are holding back the US health industry from delivering on its mission of health, and holding back so many from realizing the American dream.

Dave does an amazing job in this book of several things: 1) Explaining how the health insurance/healthcare market got to where it is today (you might be surprised), 2) Exposing the inherent problems with the current model, including examples of how the system is rigged against a rational expectation of “success” and the misalignment of incentives (how the people we think are here to help actually work against us), 3) Providing real-world examples and case studies of successful organizations that have implemented programs and principles that have led to lower costs and better outcomes, 4) Providing a blueprint of a new path forward to solve the current healthcare crisis. Aside from these things, I think Dave does the best job of providing all of this in terms that a layperson can understand. This book can be read by the CEO or the average frontline employee and be understood by both and everyone in-between. This book should be required reading for anyone that buys health insurance or healthcare services (that means YOU reading this!). If you buy health insurance for your company, you likely spend millions of dollars (or tens of millions of dollars), or you spend tens of thousands of dollars buying health insurance for your family. Whatever you spend, this book is well worth your time as I believe everyone, no matter your position, can benefit from it.

I read this book when it came out a few years ago. I took it to the beach with me and opened it up and I couldn't put it down till I finished it. My wife kept asking me what I was reading and I told her that it was a book that was helping me as a CFO peak behind the veil to see how the messed up the system was. It all made sense, but it took reading the stories from other employers and folks in the system to make it sink in. I was shocked and embarrassed at how little I knew as a CFO about the system and it infuriated me that so many people were getting raises while employers and employees were left scrambling each year trying to figure out how to pay for the unsustainable rate increases. I love how Dave puts in practice advice for employers on what to do and shows how other employers are already doing it. They inspired me to know that there are employers that have already fixed healthcare and all that I had to do was replicate what they were doing. I highly recommend this book for anyone that negotiates benefits on behalf of their company. To me it's a prerequisite that all CEOs should give to their staff before they let them move forward.

Doing the right thing is often hard, but you still have to do it. That is what my mom taught me and that is what she did. America's health system is a mess of misaligned business models that don't serve the core need of the patient and the payer (particularly self-funded payers). Dave Chase offers a solution like your Mom would if she was in charge of your healthcare - no-nonsense, best care, and the best price. It can be done if corporate executives would start taking real responsibility for healthcare for their employees. This is outsourced today to business models that are not aligned and antiquated. Even the metrics to measure effectiveness and behind. We cannot measure new models with old metrics. Current metrics are designed to support incumbent models. The current system is not going to change itself. Company fiduciaries have to resolve to insist on the kind of healthcare that their employees' mothers would insist on. It is hard, and it is the right thing to do.

This is a great read for anyone who wants to understand the true rises in cost for healthcare. Dave does an amazing job of talking about all the different pieces of the healthcare system and how they are all contributing to America's disturbing cost for healthcare. I think it is an important for CEO's, CFO's and HR executives to read and understand that not all "brokers" are created equal. The porfessionals that many companies hire and rely on to help keep costs in check are often the ones driving up costs and they do not even know. This book does not just call out the hidden secrets of healthcare costs but also explains how quality affordable healthcare can also be achieved by making a few changes. One of my favorite parts of the book is a case study about an HR professional named Barbara Barrett. When I read this case study I thought this lady was a true pioneer and a new personal hero of mine. As a benefits consultant, I get a lot of pushback from employers and HR teams that are afraid to make changes rather than embrace them and work to provide better solutions for their employees. I highly encourage anyone that wants to understand our broken healthcare system to read this book and look into making the changes highlighted in this book!

I run a large national benefits brokerage firm. For years, I've struggled with how to motivate my team and my clients with to break away from the status quo and to implement a new and better solution for everyone. The system is broke the book clearly outlines all of the reasons why. The system is broke, and everyone wants to save money - the problem is that the fear of change is so great it paralyzes companies, into the same old trap. Instead of improving benefits, we increase the cost for employees and their families every year. The book clearly demonstrates case studies that generate real savings for real people. We've self-funded our 80 employees with a captive for three years, with great success. The next step is to practice what we preach, we will be implementing the Health Rosetta approach and discipline into our plan beginning this year. My hope is that living the experience will give my team the confidence to move forward with their clients. I downloaded David Chase's new book today and can't wait to read it.

Exceptional discovery of the industry and opportunities for smart employers to take control of their employee benefits programs. Dave orients the reader to the problem with employee benefit programs and the rise of healthcare as a fringe benefit to rise of health insurance companies as a huge business. The call to action for you either as a business leader or as a benefits advisor is to create an understandable blueprint centered around very simple principles: Value Based Primary Care, Concierge Service, Active Plan Management, Tranparent Medical Markets, Payment Integrity, and Transparency with your Pharmacy Benefit Manager. The book is broken into four major components: 1) The Current Situation - A review of the current landscape of health insurance and the problem it presents to employers and employees. 2) How and why employers are getting fleeced 3) Doing it right (You run a healthcare business whether you like it or not, How to select a Benefits Advisor, and other legitimate areas to focus and 4) The principles of Health Rosetta and why the approach creates a significant element of control for employers. Great book and am excited for the opportunity the suggestions present for employers and the Benefit Advisor community. -Mike

The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream is the book of the year for Direct Primary Care doctors, as well as benefits consultants and TPAs. Dave Chase highlights the many ways of restoring health care that are currently being implemented across the health care continuum. He also goes into great depth on how the health care system works and why it has failed the middle class. In his Health 3.0, he discusses his vision of tomorrow's health care delivery system. He mentions the many game players and thought leaders leading the movement in adopting value-based primary care as way to lower health care costs, while improving patient outcomes. Primary care physicians are the gatekeepers to health care. At the forefront of primary care are pioneering Direct Primary Care doctors. I would recommend this book to any DPC doctor who are either starting out or in their second, third year or even expanding. This book is literally a blue print of how to grow your practice by partnering directly with individuals, plan administrators, and employers. Like Dave recommends, "Ask your broker, consultant, insurance carrier, or TPA if they are currently working with or have experience with VBPC practices." If they are not, this is a great opportunity to present DPC as a VBPC model that can increase employee wellness and morale, while reducing employee absenteeism, and therefore increasing employers bottom-line. Workplace wellness will play a key role in shaping the future of employee benefits as DPC will be at the center and this book will guide you to help "scale healthcare's fixes."

Dave Chase is one of those quiet innovators who moves mountains through vision, energy, and sheer persistence. With a healthy dose of trickster energy in the mix… Chase is one of the founders of Healthcare Rosetta, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating “adoption of simple, practical, non-partisan fixes to our healthcare system.” He was also CEO/Co-founder of Avado, a digital health company that was acquired by WebMD & Medscape. Given the messed-up state of healthcare at the moment, Chase makes a startling claim: “Healthcare is already fixed.” In other words, we know what works, and how to implement those fixes. On a small scale, everything that's needed is already in place somewhere. It's our job to publicize and scale those fixes until they change the entire system. So if it's so easy, what's standing in our way? As Chase writes in his masterful and infuriating book, The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream, only three trillion things. As in, the amount of money spent on healthcare in the US every year. Much of that money, Chase argues, is misspent on ineffective and/or unnecessarily expensive treatments. The book is a handbook for CEOs who are desperately trying to reduce their organizations' healthcare costs, but it also reads like a crime thriller. On page after page, I found myself shocked at the perverse incentives that reinforce a crooked system. One that costs lives, promotes suffering, and is literally stealing the American dream of middle class prosperity from an entire generation. The good news: every structural fix has already been invented and proven and replicated. It's all laid out in this important book.

This is my husband’s review, not mine. He lost his Kindle a few months ago and refuses to replace it because “it’ll turn up.” Yeah, right, along with his Motorola flip phone, Walkman, and Nolan Ryan rookie card (“It’s around here somewhere. You can’t miss it because it has Jerry Koosman on it too.”) He says this is easily the most practical and timely book on controlling healthcare costs that he has read, and is full of helpful advice that can be implemented right away. It should be on every HR bookshelf and many pages should be dog-eared for future reference. Some of the schemes detailed in this book are outrageous – from wellness vendors snookering employers and screening the stuffing out of employees to PBMs setting new records for opacity in contracting and under-the-table fees from manufacturers to providers charging outrageous fees by (for example) staffing in-network facilities with out-of-network doctors. The carriers make more money, the more of this stuff takes place. The good news is, these are all self-inflicted wounds. This is particularly true of wellness, a single-car accident that can easily be scaled way back, to generate immediate savings far exceeding the vendor fees themselves, because the vendors won’t be sending employees to the doctor all the time with “conditions” they that “identified.” And as self-inflicted wounds, it should be possible using the advice in this book to stop doing them and instead save a ton of money on the health benefit. PS He says this is a more helpful book than his own books -- Why Nobody Believes the Numbers, Cracking Health Costs, and Surviving Workplace Wellness -- though his are way funnier. That's because the wellness industry, if nothing else, is an endless source of comedic material.

I recall hearing the anecdote that every car that comes off the assembly line at a General Motors plant is at a $1,500 USD cost disadvantage to a car from a non-US manufacturer on just the cost of health benefits for GM’s employees alone. The reality is, every US business is now a healthcare business. That is where Dave Chase’s book targeted at American business CEOs starts. It follows, then, that the leaders of these organizations need to tool up on the business of managing the health of their workforces if they are to remain cost competitive in the 21st century global economy. They can no longer operate with no visibility into ROI of health benefits spending, nor drivers of unchecked inflation. What Dave Chase has done in this long overdue book is provide a clear and extremely compelling wake up call for CEOs and CFOs to put much needed scrutiny on how, where and why they are spending significant operating budgets on healthcare for their employees … and concrete steps for how to strip out up to 30% of low-or-zero value expenditures out of this major line item. I took away two main themes from this book: 1. A staggering business case for action In parts I and II, Chase lays out a compelling set of well-researched facts showing how, for decades, US corporations have accepted their employee healthcare spending to be a “Black Box” that they have no visibility into, nor ability to control its inflation year over year. In an era where corporations are ruthless about being cost competitive, turning over every stone of efficiency they can find, it is almost impossible to imagine that there has continued to be this one large line item that has largely been untouched. Some eye-opening statistics that Chase lays out include: • The scope of the opportunity is 150M American lives that are covered by fully insured or self-insured health plans; • At approximately $10K / employee / year, healthcare spending is often the 2nd largest expenditure of companies, after payroll expenses; • It is fully known that at least 10% (closer to 20%) of this spending is fraudulent; and a further 20%+ of this spending is either wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary or even harmful. Some back of the envelope math that one could do from these facts: 175M Americans X $10K/year average spending on health benefits X 10% - 30% unnecessary spending = $175B-$525B of GDP … is on the table to be recaptured by US corporations and either reinvested into their businesses, and/or redistributed to their shareholders. It is no wonder that Chase provokes: "Imagine if a foreign country was causing this kind of collateral damage to our economy. We'd go to war in a second " - Chapter 1: “America Has Gone to War For Much Less” 2. Actionable levers and tools for the C-suite to do something about it – today In parts III and IV, Chase puts together a straight forward blueprint for action. The actions are squarely targeted at CEOs, CFOs and COOs. He points them to 5 high impact lever points to focus on: I. Primary care; II. Transparency on pricing; III. Employee concierge services; IV. Independent third-party administration of health plans; and V. Heightened fiduciary oversight on health insurance spending. Each of these action areas taken alone or in combinations could address the many gaps in the design of today’s health insurance schemes, unlocking significant pools of value. For each big area of opportunity, Chase draws upon rich case studies as well as a suite of tools codified by his Institute to provide tangible and accessible tools, templates, checklists and sample playbooks for employers to get started now. It is clear from the opening sentences of the book, that Dave Chase has had a decades-long fixation with shaking up corporate America about this massive elephant in the room that no one is really addressing. And rightly so. In an era where companies’ ability to stay relevant and compete amidst myriad threats coming from all directions (disruptive startups, future of work, decline of US hegemony), it is sinful that such a low hanging fruit for cost-containment is right under executives’ noses and has been largely ignored. Chase has pulled together all the insights, all the facts, all the real-world case examples that he has collected and observed over his career in the health industry into a one stop shop distillation that only Dave could pull off. Unlike many other writers of healthcare “WTF?” books (and there are many), what Chase accomplishes with this book is refreshingly different – and impactful - in 3 distinct ways: 1. He speaks directly to the CEO, CFO and COO – on terms (and with language) they will understand. [My only remiss is that he did not also directly address boards who have fiduciary oversight duties for the corporation] 2. He does not shy away from the complexity of employee-sponsored healthcare; rather he unpacks it and frames it in a way that a business leader can engage with 3. He brings real, concrete, actionable, straightforward and proven tools to bear. The writing style is also effective in achieving the objectives of this book. Chase powerfully weaves together a well-constructed and logical story with powerful elements such as relevant sidebar vignettes, data charts with eye-popping stats, quotes from industry insiders, and deep dives into leading businesses through well-written 1-page case studies developed by experts in the field with lived experience. Supplementing this is a dedicated website of the Health Rosetta Institute that provides off the shelf tools and templates for executives to act now. I also like that the tools on the Health Rosetta Institute site are dynamic – they are being constructed in an open source way as this movement takes hold, grows in momentum, and learnings are captured and codified. If I had to make one criticism of the book it is that it is more focused than I would like it to be on guiding CEOs through the healthcare industry as designed TODAY. There is a growing consensus that the future of health(care) is going to look almost nothing like it does today. Ie, less dominance of hospitals, less reliance on the physician as the gatekeeper, consumers in control of the majority of their health decisions, data and purchases, unbundling of the business models of the traditional players (including insurers). Many of these changes are on exponential curves given the enabling technologies are software-based (and therefore can scale exponentially), and given consumer pull is driving demand. Yet, the blueprint in Chase’s book largely assumes that health services will continue to be designed and delivered the way they are today. I get why – there is so much that can already be done right now without remodeling the health system through innovation. In all, Chase’s book reminds me of what Peter Senge’s The Necessary Revolution did for the climate disruption movement. As an MBA professor in health strategy, and advisor to innovators in the health industry, this book will be added to my top 5 “must read” health industry books that I would prescribe to anyone who is trying to help fix this broken industry. Chase joins my top 5 authors in putting his life’s work into a book and platform that will start a movement and changes mindsets in a way that (finally) allows a leap in new value to be unlocked. [ The others being – Innovator’s Prescription (Christensen), Redefining Healthcare (Porter), Creative Destruction of Medicine (Topol) and The Patient Will See you Now (Topol).] Although this book is written for corporate America CEOs, I highly recommend it to any one who works (or intends to work) in the health care value net. Especially emerging tech startups who all see the massive inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of this industry, and are trying to bring solutions to bear … but have a really limited understanding of the underbelly of the health industry in America. Dave explains the intricacies in a way that anyone can understand, and should be able to translate that understanding into better products, services and ways of working in this industry. Thank-you Dave for your courage in confronting the people, mindsets and borderline unethical business practices that are holding back the US health industry from delivering on its mission of health, and holding back so many from realizing the American dream.

Dave does an amazing job in this book of several things: 1) Explaining how the health insurance/healthcare market got to where it is today (you might be surprised), 2) Exposing the inherent problems with the current model, including examples of how the system is rigged against a rational expectation of “success” and the misalignment of incentives (how the people we think are here to help actually work against us), 3) Providing real-world examples and case studies of successful organizations that have implemented programs and principles that have led to lower costs and better outcomes, 4) Providing a blueprint of a new path forward to solve the current healthcare crisis. Aside from these things, I think Dave does the best job of providing all of this in terms that a layperson can understand. This book can be read by the CEO or the average frontline employee and be understood by both and everyone in-between. This book should be required reading for anyone that buys health insurance or healthcare services (that means YOU reading this!). If you buy health insurance for your company, you likely spend millions of dollars (or tens of millions of dollars), or you spend tens of thousands of dollars buying health insurance for your family. Whatever you spend, this book is well worth your time as I believe everyone, no matter your position, can benefit from it.

I read this book when it came out a few years ago. I took it to the beach with me and opened it up and I couldn't put it down till I finished it. My wife kept asking me what I was reading and I told her that it was a book that was helping me as a CFO peak behind the veil to see how the messed up the system was. It all made sense, but it took reading the stories from other employers and folks in the system to make it sink in. I was shocked and embarrassed at how little I knew as a CFO about the system and it infuriated me that so many people were getting raises while employers and employees were left scrambling each year trying to figure out how to pay for the unsustainable rate increases. I love how Dave puts in practice advice for employers on what to do and shows how other employers are already doing it. They inspired me to know that there are employers that have already fixed healthcare and all that I had to do was replicate what they were doing. I highly recommend this book for anyone that negotiates benefits on behalf of their company. To me it's a prerequisite that all CEOs should give to their staff before they let them move forward.

Doing the right thing is often hard, but you still have to do it. That is what my mom taught me and that is what she did. America's health system is a mess of misaligned business models that don't serve the core need of the patient and the payer (particularly self-funded payers). Dave Chase offers a solution like your Mom would if she was in charge of your healthcare - no-nonsense, best care, and the best price. It can be done if corporate executives would start taking real responsibility for healthcare for their employees. This is outsourced today to business models that are not aligned and antiquated. Even the metrics to measure effectiveness and behind. We cannot measure new models with old metrics. Current metrics are designed to support incumbent models. The current system is not going to change itself. Company fiduciaries have to resolve to insist on the kind of healthcare that their employees' mothers would insist on. It is hard, and it is the right thing to do.

This is a great read for anyone who wants to understand the true rises in cost for healthcare. Dave does an amazing job of talking about all the different pieces of the healthcare system and how they are all contributing to America's disturbing cost for healthcare. I think it is an important for CEO's, CFO's and HR executives to read and understand that not all "brokers" are created equal. The porfessionals that many companies hire and rely on to help keep costs in check are often the ones driving up costs and they do not even know. This book does not just call out the hidden secrets of healthcare costs but also explains how quality affordable healthcare can also be achieved by making a few changes. One of my favorite parts of the book is a case study about an HR professional named Barbara Barrett. When I read this case study I thought this lady was a true pioneer and a new personal hero of mine. As a benefits consultant, I get a lot of pushback from employers and HR teams that are afraid to make changes rather than embrace them and work to provide better solutions for their employees. I highly encourage anyone that wants to understand our broken healthcare system to read this book and look into making the changes highlighted in this book!

I run a large national benefits brokerage firm. For years, I've struggled with how to motivate my team and my clients with to break away from the status quo and to implement a new and better solution for everyone. The system is broke the book clearly outlines all of the reasons why. The system is broke, and everyone wants to save money - the problem is that the fear of change is so great it paralyzes companies, into the same old trap. Instead of improving benefits, we increase the cost for employees and their families every year. The book clearly demonstrates case studies that generate real savings for real people. We've self-funded our 80 employees with a captive for three years, with great success. The next step is to practice what we preach, we will be implementing the Health Rosetta approach and discipline into our plan beginning this year. My hope is that living the experience will give my team the confidence to move forward with their clients. I downloaded David Chase's new book today and can't wait to read it.

Exceptional discovery of the industry and opportunities for smart employers to take control of their employee benefits programs. Dave orients the reader to the problem with employee benefit programs and the rise of healthcare as a fringe benefit to rise of health insurance companies as a huge business. The call to action for you either as a business leader or as a benefits advisor is to create an understandable blueprint centered around very simple principles: Value Based Primary Care, Concierge Service, Active Plan Management, Tranparent Medical Markets, Payment Integrity, and Transparency with your Pharmacy Benefit Manager. The book is broken into four major components: 1) The Current Situation - A review of the current landscape of health insurance and the problem it presents to employers and employees. 2) How and why employers are getting fleeced 3) Doing it right (You run a healthcare business whether you like it or not, How to select a Benefits Advisor, and other legitimate areas to focus and 4) The principles of Health Rosetta and why the approach creates a significant element of control for employers. Great book and am excited for the opportunity the suggestions present for employers and the Benefit Advisor community. -Mike

The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream is the book of the year for Direct Primary Care doctors, as well as benefits consultants and TPAs. Dave Chase highlights the many ways of restoring health care that are currently being implemented across the health care continuum. He also goes into great depth on how the health care system works and why it has failed the middle class. In his Health 3.0, he discusses his vision of tomorrow's health care delivery system. He mentions the many game players and thought leaders leading the movement in adopting value-based primary care as way to lower health care costs, while improving patient outcomes. Primary care physicians are the gatekeepers to health care. At the forefront of primary care are pioneering Direct Primary Care doctors. I would recommend this book to any DPC doctor who are either starting out or in their second, third year or even expanding. This book is literally a blue print of how to grow your practice by partnering directly with individuals, plan administrators, and employers. Like Dave recommends, "Ask your broker, consultant, insurance carrier, or TPA if they are currently working with or have experience with VBPC practices." If they are not, this is a great opportunity to present DPC as a VBPC model that can increase employee wellness and morale, while reducing employee absenteeism, and therefore increasing employers bottom-line. Workplace wellness will play a key role in shaping the future of employee benefits as DPC will be at the center and this book will guide you to help "scale healthcare's fixes."

For context, I'm a benefits consultant, and I love reading new material on ways to make our broken healthcare system more effective, more affordable, and how to align incentives to produce better outcomes. Here's the problem: Most literature on the subject is very good about pointing out the problems, and not so strong when it comes to giving actionable steps to create positive change. This book is only beginning by pinpointing key areas of dysfunction in the current healthcare system (backed by some compelling statistics). After that, you'll read about real ways that employers, CFOs, HR managers, and benefits consultants are implementing no-nonsense strategies to do the impossible - Achieve better health outcomes with fewer dollars spent. It sounds counterintuitive, and even a bit bombastic... But after you read this book, you'll understand.

This book helps place hope for improving our healthcare system where it belongs: with the same business leaders that drive our economy. When those leaders realize that they do not need to accept the status quo and start to deploy the innovative approaches described in this book, we will see the healthcare needle start to move. The healthcare industry is filled with wonderful people who, along with the rest of us, are being failed by the system. I highly recommend this book for any business leader looking to engage with this critical topic. As the author says, companies are running a healthcare business whether they like it or not...it’s high time they start optimizing their approach and this book is filled with great perspectives on doing so.

As a Benefits Consultant, I grew tired of delivering bad news to my clients year after year. Their health insurance premiums kept soaring, no matter how good or bad their claims were in a given year. That's when I came across Dave Chase's Ted Talk online. The things he spoke about spoke directly to me, and that's what started my committed journey to solving our healthcare crisis. After viewing the Ted Talk, I found Dave's book, this book, The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream. Since that time, I've purchased dozens of copies and have started distributing them among employers, politicians, school officials, and even other health brokers in my community. As Dave points out in the dynamic book, "Healthcare is already fixed, and it's on us to scale those fixes." I recommend this book to any serious healthcare consultant, broker, HR Director, CFO, CEO, and doctors. Together we can restore the American Dream. Josh Butler, President, Butler Benefits & Consulting.

One of the best books that I've ever read. I can truly say it started my journey into becoming a CONSUMER of healthcare and seeking out like-minded professionals. It's enhanced my network of colleagues, helped me to teach my Medicare clients better things, and really understand why our system is so darn messed up! But the best part of the book? The fact that we all should walk away with feeling that our system is "fixable". It is and I'm happy to say I know many of the folks that are forever changing our system. In fact,I encouraged my son to read it and the book was so powerful, it really helped my son to pick a career that can and will make a difference - healthcare design in the group health insurance space. Thanks to Dave for that (from an excited for her son mother) and for everything else that you have launched.

This book by Dave Chase starts with the right title, because healthcare costs need to be on the mind of virtually every CEO in America. The reason that they have not been up until now is the myth that, like the weather, everyone talks about them but no one can do anything about them. There is a growing movement to show that simply is not true. There are many ways to reduce costs for the right employer, and this book helps show that way. Beyond that, the Health Rosetta is paving the way to create solutions that can be used across the country. It is all too easy to say that the current healthcare system is broken. A more positive approach is to say that whether the current system is broken or not, there are huge opportunities that many employers can take advantage of to lower costs and improve employee satisfaction at the same time. This book helps lead the way.

This book by Dave Chase is one of the best reads out there for people, without experience in healthcare, to understand all the many things that are wrong with our health system and why our costs are 50% more than the next industrialized nation. If you are a CEO or CFO reading this book, you need to take action and do something with your health plan. You have a fiduciary responsibility, with commingled funds, to reduce healthcare spend, your 2nd largest expense, on behalf of your shareholders, owners and employees. Indecision is a decision that could cost you your job. This book gives you plenty of examples of what you can do to get your cost under control now. Plenty of our customers already do this and enjoy flat trends year-over-year, but they do not do it by offering unmanaged plans and listening to discount talk from consultants or providers. As Dave points out in their book, the executives get engaged and make ongoing decisions based on good data and total cost. There are no more excuses for CEO, CFO’s or COO’s to say they can’t do anything about their healthcare spend! Dave Chase knocks it out of the park with this book. Every Executive is in the health care business these days, as Dave points out. J. Bernhard President, Continental Benefits

When Dave first introduced me to the topic for his book a couple of years ago I knew it would be unique because of Dave's experience in the healthcare industry in general and, more specifically, in the health tech sector. After reading his book I was even more impressed by how much he taught me. Dave's focus on employers and the book's central thesis that employers do not have to accept rising costs and lower healthcare quality for their employees is terrific. More importantly, operationalizable advice about how employers are uniquely positioned to do something about their employees' healthcare is immediately actionable and worth following. As a researcher in the health insurance and digital health fields myself, I've often written about how employers have been letting their employees down when it comes to controlling for quality and costs. I'm thrilled to see that Dave penned this book because now I can just point friends, colleagues, and family to this terrific source of valuable information. I've often written that money that goes into healthcare industry participants originates from only a few places: (a) the individual, us or (b) the government through us as taxpayer or (c) charitable sources through us as donors or (d) employers through us as employees. When you look at the sources of healthcare funding, it ultimately always comes through us as individuals in terms of directly out of our pockets or indirectly through money we donate, pay in taxes, or earn from employers. There's very little power we have as individuals to do anything about the industry as a whole and hoping that government will do something is folly for the time being. Charitable organizations cannot do much either. But, employers potentially wield a great deal of power that they're squandering. It is the employers that Dave focuses on in his book and I'd love to see Dave's work lead to more actionable advice, perhaps some open source or similar projects led by think tanks / thought leaders, that would help employers understand why they have far more control than they're wielding at the moment. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those wondering why healthcare costs are rising while quality and productivity remains static or declining; more importantly, I strongly suggest that anyone in charge of healthcare benefits for their employees read this book and begin implementing its recommendations.

As an actively practicing physician, I can say without equivocation that Dave Chase lays bare the inside game of health care in America. And he exposes the truth in meticulous detail. Whether you're a physician like me, or the CEO of your company (or both), the book illustrates how we can evolve the rules of the health care game. For the CEO: this book teaches you how to shop for health care benefits, help your employees, increase your bottom line, and maximize your competitive advantage. For the health care professional: this book helps you understand in depth how this game of thrones is rigged, and how you can offer better value for what you do. This is THE health care benefits bible for CEOs. And it points me to the future of health care. But the case studies in the book show us that the future is happening now. I'll be referencing it over and over again. Because for me, and I trust for others, our health care system isn’t just an insiders’ game. The lives of real people – your family and mine – are at stake, based on the actions we take. Dave Chase's book will make you take action. Read it now.

In the 25 plus years I have been in the healthcare sector, my single most important mission has been to proactively change health and care in this country. Its reinvigorating to be in the company of Dave, and so many other like-minded leaders who have that same mission. The CEOs Guide to Restoring the American Dream is a must read for all organizational leaders and anyone tired of the status quo of health care in America. This guide takes the most crucial step, aligning all vested parties to take a deeper look into our health care crisis and stop accepting its current state. Together, we can and will redefine health and care in America and it begins by reading The CEOs Guide to Restoring the American Dream.

Not only did I read Dave Chase's book, I purchased 10 copies of it to share with my clients! I have been employed in the benefits industry for more than 20 years. The changes I've seen in "pricing" for healthcare occur are staggering, and ultimately, it's employers and employees that are paying the price. Dave brings practical advice for changes that self-funded employers can make, while challenging the status-quo. I begin all of my client presentations with the title of chapter 9, "You Run a Health Care Business Whether You Like It or Not". Eye opening statement. To most companies, the cost of providing health coverage is second only to their payroll. Dave does a nice job of laying out the facts - trends are unsustainable, price has zero relation to quality, the large national carriers are not incentived to impact trend and the Pharmacy world is a shell game. But in addition to the facts, he walks though solutions, and advises employers to choose benefits consultants that understand what it will take to fix the system. This is an important book!

The CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream is an important book that couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Dave has researched and curated an indispensable resource for the American business leader. It’s equal parts textbook and guidebook that manages to translate and demystify the complexity of health care purchasing in a practical, down to earth volume. It’s loaded up with insightful anecdotes, quotations, case studies, interviews, statistics, facts, and much more. While Dave doesn’t pull his punches in serving up a lucid critique of many seemingly intractable bad business behaviors in the US health care system, this book is ultimately about solutions and practical insights, drawn from some of the country’s most progressive health benefits experts. Simply put, this book is a must-own for any executive interested in reducing their business’s health care spending in a responsible, sustainable manner.

Another easy read and thorough presentation of why our healthcare system fails and efforts being made to rectify the situation, although like others in this camp, not referenced enough and a bit "too good to be true" with some solutions. Also, I got the feeling more and more powerfully as I proceeded that this was really a pitch for Health Rosetta than a serious academic socioeconomic text.

Brilliant & inspirational author. Respect what he is building Upside - Wholeheartedly agree with the importance of cost and his deconstruction is compelling & mostly on point. Many brokers, insurers, and hospitals do not even have a measure of value... Downside - The chapters in the book read like floats in a parade... Glad to hear there's a new version Me? As a business owner I'd say health benefit price alone is not the same as value actually. I think the author is bright & insightful, but disruption as a mantra is too cynical for me. My sense is the industry needs vision, a constructive roadmap, & leadership for the future of our health system.

This is one of the most important books for any employer, benefits advisor, or even users of the healthcare system (yes, this is just about everyone) to read. No single challenge poses a greater financial threat to our individual organizations, or our economy, than does the out-of-control cost of healthcare. The frustrating, yet encouraging, reality is that the answers to this grave problem already exist; they just haven’t been well documented until now. The CEO’s Guide lays out a blueprint of how employers, when partnered with the right advisor, can make this vital benefit start working for them again. Prepare to finish the book excited for what can be, but not before you reach a level of anger at what it has become.

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone using healthcare in America ...so everyone! Explained in a language we can all understand. Our income and pay increases as the working class are be stolen from us and given to health insurance companies. But there are solutions....and you can read about them in these pages! Business Owners and Health insurance brokers... that don't educate themselves on these topics...are neglecting their fiduciary and ethical duties to their employees and fellow man. This is a great place to start start the process for anyone that is fed up with health insurance in america!

This is a must read book for anyone who wants to know what's wrong with the healthcare system. Even more so for those who decide on benefits for a business. You feel the need to shower after reading some of the bits about the working of the insurance industry. The Dave Chase does a fabulous job making things easy to understand and giving good examples of how to take practical steps to lower the cost of care while improving the quality. Believe it or not, there is often an inverse relationship between the cost of care and its quality.

This really is a one of a kind book. There are few out there talking about the solution to our healthcare crisis in a palatable way. This book breaks it down. The first section it outlines the problem. How we got here and why we are in a state of crisis. This is insightful, though to be fair, there are many other books that are also dissecting the monster, so to speak. The second section follows this up by focusing on how the problem has particularly hit employers hard-- and few are doing anything to change! The real gems of the book, I think, lie in sections III -- "How to Get it Right" and section IV "Health Rosetta". There is a solution out there, as Mr Chase makes clear. Today. They are doing it. It just needs to be put into place by America's companies, to be bought into by their executives. Once employers start focusing on direct primary care and actually paying for value on their insurance plans, they will reap incredible savings, wages will go up, doctors will stay in primary care, people will be more satisfied with the system. That happens and our healthcare crisis will become history. Keep carrying the torch dave.

Before I read the CEO's Guide, I feel like I was mindlessly walking around, not knowing what a looming, colossal crisis is going to hit our country. Now I know the truth, it's pretty stunning, BUT I also know what we can do about it. Every CEO and citizen should have no choice, you have to read this, it's about all of our futures and our kids' future. Health care is a giant sucking sound that is about ready to eat everything around it and leave little else for education, infrastructure, etc and is going to increasingly bankrupt our citizens, companies, and eventually cities. We gotta do something about this and we CAN

Dave has done an incredible job of "pulling back the covers" of an industry that is more than comfortable with the status quo. This is a status quo that has cost employers and their employees billions of dollars in lost wages to help cover the incredible rise in healthcare expenses over the past 20 years. It's an easy read and the reader can easily jump from section to section and most important browse the case studies of actual companies, municipalities, school districts and unions that have put the brakes on healthcare inflation.

American health care is an expensive underperforming out of control mess. Nobody knows more about this and has more good ideas about how to fix it than Dave Chase. This is a book I have been waiting for. If you own a business, are employed by a business or are a union worker, this should be required reading. Don't expect the American government to fix this. Don't think that health care will heal itself. It is time for business to take this bull by the horns. Here is your road map. Those of us in health care desperately NEED you to help us clean up this mess.

Dave Chase provides an excellent background and makes a compelling argument, supported by solid case examples, for redesigning employer provided health benefits. Building this transformation on properly resourced advanced primary care can improve care, improve health, and reduce health expenditures. Chapter 14 outlines the necessary features and funding mechanism to support this transition. People need INSURANCE for major health care expenses but need ASSURANCE of good primary care to achieve their best possible health. Employers can and should be a force in support of this transformation.

Everyone, especially CEOs, CFOs and HR teams, take the time to read Dave Chase's new book. If not for your own American Dream, do it for the people that look to you as a business leader. Dave brings practical dialogue and solutions to the seemingly complex problem of rising Health Care costs. Do not continue to expect complacency and mediocrity. Dave lays out a plan to start generating a greater return on your health care spend. Expect more America, and together with Dave Chase and the Health Rosetta we will work to give back the inefficient health care dollars that have been taken from the paychecks of hard-working employees.

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase made their health care initiatives announcement a couple weeks ago with scant details. They'd be well advised to pick up a copy and see that the blueprint for their vision has already been articulately described with multiple case studies. These proven strategies are already working in urban and rural environments, for small and very large companies across diverse socioeconomic populations.

An absolute must read for anyone in healthcare, employee benefits, or who runs a company. The cost of healthcare in the U.S. is out of control and this book delivers insight into the ugly truths that drive the capitalistic healthcare model. Gain insight into the broken system as well as learn about innovative new models and approaches to reduce cost and improve care for employees.

Great book! Very insightful! Brings to light many situations that need to be to be addressed in the healthcare system. It helps business leaders get an insight into what is really going on within their healthcare program, and how they can try to improve the situation. A must read for business owners and C-suite executive that want to control costs and potentially turn their benefits into a competitive advantage.

I've spent about 10 years in this industry and have never read anything that combines deep systemic information with such actionable, practical advice. If you're a provider who wants to learn how to succeed in the new world of health care delivery, this is a must read. If you're in HealthIT, this is the resource you need to understand why you're always coming up with counter-intuitive answers for why the industry won't adopt your technology. If you're an executive, you owe it to your company to learn this material inside out and backwards.

GREAT Book. It articulates everything we are doing for our clients in the health insurance world (we are the next generation Broker Advisers, not status quo brokers). If this book doesn't get you mad at the system while at the same time giving you guidance on how to create your own system to benefit not just the employer but also employees, then you are reading a different book.

A great "How to.." guide for any business leader dissatisfied with the standard fare from their group health plan options. Its time to disrupt the status quo and Dave Chase has done us a tremendous service by laying out ways individual employers can take back control over this long neglected cost center within their own operation. He does a deep dive on behalf of all of us to find the solutions already available... and scalable for businesses that have a desperate need for real outcomes.

Was at a meeting where Dave presented this information and the Health Rosetta concept. Couldn't agree more... we need to make the transition from sick care which is failing to well care & prevention.

You run a healthcare business whether you like it or not., and I'm guessing you haven't optimized this line item on the P & L... A blueprint of a common sense approach to reduce healthcare costs. This book brings hope that the American healthcare system can be fixed. Employers can be a critical influence to bring higher quality care to employees at a lower cost point. You owe it to your employees to read this book

I'd gotten a free PDF copy of this already, read most of it, cited it on my KHIT blog (and will surely cite it again). Very thoughtfully done. I hope that employer based health care "coverage" will have the heft to move the needle appreciably, but I remain skeptical. See, e.g., Einer Elhauge's work on the fragmented health care "system." But, in sum, this book is well worth your time.

Dave Chase's new book CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream is an outstanding read. I bought one for myself and three to give away. Healthcare in America is a train wreck is slow motion. This book explains in plain language what needs to be done to fix it.

Dave and the team at Health Rosetta Institute did a great job making a complex subject into a relatively easy read and provides us with a straight-forward playbook on how to change the game, providing hope and giving practical steps to bend the cost curve. The book will be eye-opening for any CEO or CFO, but is also great for people in the medical profession and consumers of our medical system. While there is a lot wrong in America's medical ecosystem, Dave and the contributors to the book focus on examples of positive change already taking place and how we can improve in the near future. Great book!

A must read if you are a buyer of health benefits for your company. There is so much waste in our system. Dave Chase teaches you how to cut out the fat, a step by step approach and names benefit advisors you should be using. He gives real life case studies with 10 to 50% reduction in health care spend. You would be crazy not to see how to save millions of dollars and be apart of the solution.

Dave Chase "gets it." Through this book, he provides a fantastic view of an alternative path to true population health. I found the book to be a refreshing, well researched and well written overview of "current state," "desired future state," and the path from here to there. This book should be required reading for every business leader.

Dave Chase is one of the boldest, bravest minds in healthcare strategy, connecting important dots and naming sacred cows. Importantly, this is not just another well-worn trail down the "what's wrong with US healthcare" road. It's focused on pragmatic solutions and ideas that leaders can apply today. Case studies illuminate the path to change. Get this book, and be the change.

This is must-read for business owners and CFOs or anyone that is tired of paying more for less for their health insurance year-after-year. Not since Thomas Sowell laid out healthcare economics so eloquently in his book, Applied Economics, has anyone come as close to pulling back the veil and getting to the root drivers of healthcare cost inflation. David Chase's latest book should be the go-to field guide for those that want to reduce benefit costs AND provide the best benefits anywhere. Don't hesitate, buy this book today - your employees and your bottom line will thank you.

Easily the single book that has changed the game for us as benefits consultants in the industry. This book is nothing but a WINNER and will change your whole outlook on our healthcare system. The one book I have read that gives the perfect synopsis for employers to understand how to take back their healthcare costs.

The most comprehensive and actionable how-to guide on the method for any company in America to make healthcare costs go down to reasonable costs. The explanation of the problem every CEO should want to solve is right here to. Great work.

Dave Chase explains healthcare from the front lines of the payor side. This is currently the best handbook of how to take back what hospitals and insurance companies have been stealing from us for way too long. A pure textbook example of "you don't know what you don't know". Painfully true of our managed care model.

I have been on a 5 year journey to understand why healthcare costs so much which is when my path crossed with Dave Chase. He has done an excellent job of unveiling the status quo, very corrupt healthcare system. His insight is right on target, and this book should be required for anyone in corporate America who is in charge of purchasing employee benefits. Get the book now and learn how to reduce your healthcare costs by 50%...10 times the benefits for half the cost! Carl C. Schuessler, Jr., DHP, DIA, GBDS, FairCo$t Health Plan

A must read for every CEO, CFO and Benefits Purchaser! America's expensive underperforming healthcare system is bankrupting our country. For the first time in history, millennials are having a difficult time envisioning what the American Dream looks like...why? Because healthcare has drained our vast resources. What is a seemingly complex problem, Dave Chase has simplified. Read this book, pass it on to a friend. When we organize together, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no entity can suppress.

I have purchased many copies of this and have given out to other business colleagues The book explains a complicated health care system, why it is broken, how it happened and concrete ways to fix it. Loved it!

I have been following Dave Chase for years and so appreciate his ability to cut through the noise and focus on the real solutions employers can put in place now to save them and their employees money. The case studies really highlight that these solutions are already working for all types of companies, across the country. I am excited to see the shifts this can make in an industry that has been so resistant to substantive change.

I was recommended this book by a group of peers and glad they did. Dave Chase's description of the current healthcare market is right on! We have been implementing these programs and seeing the results first hand. I hope this book triggers more change in reshaping the conversation about healthcare and brings additional opportunities to deliver more solutions.

Dave has done a great job of not only clearly articulating the major issues of health care, but of breaking those issues down into pieces that employers can control. He offers practical advice on what an employer should do to lower cost AND increase satisfaction for employees around their health care benefits. The book is easy to read as well. You have to love something easy to read that can fix a $3 Trillion problem!

Great book that every CEO and CFO should read! The book not only takes you out of your traditional thought box regarding healthcare, but also gives you practical steps to solving the healthcare problem and real life stories of companies and communities that are doing so. This is the answer to the healthcare crisis!

Dave Chase's new book, the CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream, is one of the most important books of our time. Some of the principals identified within the book are already being implemented by employers across the country and have resulted in better benefits and lower costs, allowing the employers to reinvest into the company and/or surrounding communities. This is the truly the only way to fix our greed driven and inefficient healthcare system.

Dave Chase's new book is a must read for anyone involved, or attempting to understand, the current economics of the health care market in the United States. It provides not only deep analysis on the current 'state of affairs' in the U.S., but also a practical "how-to" for any CEO, COO, or HR specialist tasked with improving (quality and cost) a company's health care plan.

Dave’s compelling approach to story-telling will help you easily understand why we have a disfunctional health system today. He takes the reader through multiple solutions proven to cut costs. Every CEO in America should make this required reading for their benefits broker and HR director!

This is the right book for the right time. Dave Chase is a voice that is reasonable and right on. We need to listen to him and change the way we think about healthcare. It is possible to influence changes, he gives us logical and reasonable solutions to what often seems daunting. Thanks Dave!

This book provides an excellent recap of the issues we are facing as a country and the innovative solutions that smart employers are bringing to the problem. Well done. I look forward to volume 2

Incredibly insightful and a must read for HR professionals and CFOs. Dave does an amazing job of highlighting the many wrongs in the healthcare system and what employers can do to reduce costs while improving quality.

Required Reading for any stakeholder in the healthcare costs of an organization. Dave's ability to break the problem down into it's(many) component pieces and apply common sense approaches and examples of real world solutions is a boon to anyone that has reached their point of frustration with the status quo(read: anyone that deals with it).

Straight-forward and accessible guide to health care purchasing that every employer should read. Makes a very compelling case for why employers have a fiscal obligation and unprecedented opportunity to more actively manage their health care costs. Must read for any company that cares about employees and costs.

The time, effort, and brillance put into this book makes it a necessary Read for anyone but especially those who make decisions on health and benefits. This specifically lays a path to creating a more transparent and beneficial system for all.

This book is a must read for any and all employers providing healthcare benefits to employees. Dave Chase has outlined the startling reality about our current healthcare pricing system which leads to US prices that are much higher than any other country. Dave outlined the realities about how this is destroying the average American worker financially.

This book is the definitive guide to our broken healthcare systems and the fixes already being implemented by some innovative employers in the US. If you want to provide better care to your employees at significantly lower costs, this is the starting point. Practical steps abound in this definitive guide to debunking industry myths that are costing you dearly.

Of all the health care books I've read, The CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream has the easiest-to-follow discussion of the collateral societal damage caused by hyper-inflating costs, insight into the root causes of dysfunction, and coverage of the most practical, non-academic, and non-political solutions. In short, it helps better understand why we have stagnant middle class wages, crumbling infrastructure, education underfunding, dwindling household savings, and more, then shows how people and organizations around the country are already fixing it. It gives real solutions that any of us can start making happen in our own communities. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the partisanship we see coming out of DC and on the news.

This book is a great read for any CEO or CFO that has lost hope in their ability to control health care costs. Dave Chase shares practical strategies that employers are using today to win the battle against rising health care costs.

Dave paints a clear picture of the problems within our healthcare system and creates a blueprint on what you can do about it. You no longer have to feel forced into accepting increases each year following the guidance within this book.

A great read every employee benefit broker should get their hands on. The industry needs to change but so many of us have worked in the industry so long we can’t see outside the box. Take action!

Well written... the truth behind the mess in HealthCare and what we must all do to fix it. This is a must read for any executive that is troubled with healtcare spend and the well being of their teams.

The CEOs's Guide debunks health insurance myths and provides practical steps that we can all take to improve the current system. A must read for CEOs, CFOs, HR leaders, and anyone interested in breaking through the status quo of ever-increasing health insurance costs. Well done, Dave Chase!

It’s amazing to see the entire problem and find solutions to such a big issue. This book is a game changer.

Incredible read! What Dave Chase has written is a gift to the world

Dave Chase has turned our healthcare problem into a common sense, easily digestible approach. I hope we all can adopt these principles.

A must read. Change in healthcare is possible, but understanding the root cause is Vital. This book does a wonderful job of laying that out.

Well done, Dave. Required reading for any corporate leader.

Really lucid book on understanding the complex dynamics of healthcare. Must read for any C level or innovator in healthcare.

A must read for every CEO, CFO and HR/Benefits team. This book is the blueprint to lowering your cost while simultaneously improving your benefits. A++

Employers Run Health Care Business Whether They Like It or Not. Dave Chase's book is the blueprint for changing the conversation and taking meaningful action.

As a member of a healthcare organization that is pushing for better solutions to our healthcare crisis, this book was immediate required reading.

Good read!

Dave Chase has written a uniquely readable and actionable book that will inform any CEO or CFO why and how to reduce their all in health care spend by 20% or more year one and 50% or more by year five with better outcomes, happier employees and no cost shifting to employees. According to existing labor laws, CEO’s and CFO’s have a legal and fiduciary responsibility to take these steps or face personal financial liability for failing to act responsibly with funds that in part belong to their employees.

This book truly is the Rosetta Stone [pun intended] for employers who want to stop seeing themselves as victims of broken medical delivery and financing systems that provide inadequate care at inflated prices. Dave Chase provides the roadmap to employers who want to free themselves from the autopilot traditional medical coverage programs that leave them (and their employees and shareholders) trying to slay a dragon with a pocket knife. He shows a number of creative ways that self-funded employers can design their programs to offer superior quality at lower cost and redirect those funds from high-cost/low-quality care to compensation and other corporate investments (capital equipment, distribution, marketing) to raise employees' productivity and incomes. If you're a CEO, you'd question your employees' staying in hotels that cost three or four times the average in a city, wouldn't you? You wouldn't tell a new salesperson to go out and buy a company car and send you the bill, would you? And if your purchasing manager were buying a commodity for three times the price that another supplier charged, you'd crack down, right? You don't give your employees blank checks when it comes to ALL other aspects of your business. So why do you allow them to spend YOUR money receiving care at overpriced hospitals and providers? You can assume control. Is it easy? No, it's not as simple as a turnkey program offered by a traditional insurer on a fully-insured or self-funded basis. You need to find the right people to help you design and maintain a program - just as you must find the right people to design your new product or create your next sales strategy or marketing campaign. That's business. Medical costs are the third or fourth largest expense for most companies. So, why do you offload responsibility to a single person in HR (who performs other duties as well, thus dividing her efforts)? Heck, you probably scrutinize expense reports more than medical spending - picking up pennies from the ground while Benjamins float out the back door. There are alternatives. You can create your medical spending future by paying less for superior care. Your employees will appreciate being steered to the best providers with the best outcomes. You'll appreciate the savings when your employees stop spending your money on bad quality or even good quality at bloated prices. With some imagination and some navigation along a path that many other companies are already taking, you can create a dynamic medical coverage program that delivers superior quality at lower cost. Are the examples - routinely showing 30% to 40% spending reductions after two or three years - realistic? i don't know. Perhaps they're cherry-picked. What if you're able to achieve only 20% savings from your current plan in two years (rather than a 15% to 25% increase over the same period)? Would resetting your baseline at 40% less than a comparable competitor give you a competitive advantage? Free up money to pay your employees more . . . or increase your contributions to their HSAs and 401(k) plans . . . or increase their productivity to boost your market share or lower your prices - both of which increase employee compensation and jobs . . . or keep a marginally profitable business from abandoning its historical roots and relocating to an area (including outside the country) with lower labor costs? It's all good. Your company wins. Your employees win. Oh, the local hospital and doctors who charge higher rates that can't be justified by differences in quality lose. Is that a bad thing? As consumers, we regularly see large business go out of business (Borders . . Sports Authority . . .Bradlee's . . .Woolworth's . . . Digital Computer . . . American Motors . . . Soon Sears, Toys 'r Us and perhaps JC Penney). They couldn't deliver value in a changing market, and they couldn't pivot quickly enough to remain alive. Maybe it's time that some medical services companies - hospitals, physicians and ancillary providers, pharma companies - face competition and change or become extinct. You have the power to stop your employees from spending your money foolishly. If you don't seize the moment, it won't be your employees who are foolish. It will be you.

Dave Chase’s book, CEO’s Guide to Restoring the American Dream, offers a quick look at a Healthcare reform movement that is gaining in speed and traction. Dave is a founder of the Health Rosetta, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health outcomes and life for all. This non-political viewpoint offers a look into cost drivers from a vantage point that most don’t see. Instead of pointing fingers and blaming one side or the other Dave goes into detail on how most of the “reasons” we are told are bogus and how to counteract them. Furthermore, he shares insights on how to not only increase health, lower overall costs, and how to take some of the saved dollars and further improve the community and people’s lives. He gives real-life examples of costs, struggles, reasons, and ways to counteract the current trend. This book offers a solid look into healthcare that might scare you. It is not for the faint of heart and will leave you with both chills and an urge to do something bigger to help the cause. You don’t have to be a Fortune 100 leader or billionaire to help create change. This book is for everyone from the top down and really shows that everyone can make an impact. For those that want to do more, the book offers resources to help you get started on your path to improvement. If you are already on the path this book will help to solidify your resolve and will give you the extra resources to continue down that path. CEO’s Guide is an easy read with nothing too technical about it. You could read it while on a business trip, but I wouldn’t recommend it as you will need time to stew and think about the concepts. This book should be read by every business owner, every HR person, every broker, and the entire healthcare system!

This book by Dave Chase includes compilation of essays from from healthcare thought leaders. It does a good job of providing an overview of our incredibly complicated and dysfunctional healthcare system in the US. Jeanne Pinder covers price variability and lack of pricing transparency. John Torinus writes a case study on the city of Milwaukee and they steps the city took to self insure. Dave explains the perverse incentives of insurers and the potential for millennials to upset healthcare as they did in other industries. He speaks about confusing drug pricing, inappropriate treatment, many types of medical fraud and suppression of data. Dave makes the case that traditional workplace wellness initiatives have a poor return on investment. He introduces Health Rosetta Institute as a potential solution. As he explains value based purchasing, concierge medicine, and other topics he links back the Health Rosetta site at the close of each chapter. It would have been nice to explain the Health Rosetta concept in a story telling fashion. There are many great minds in healthcare working with this organization and it would have helped to get a clear origin story. I could only give four stars to this book because as a patient leader, I found the frequent use of acronyms and business phrases somewhat hard to follow. Someone steeped in corporate language choices may not have the same concerns.

Dave Chase makes the health insurance industry understandable to all readers regardless of their background. The readability is critical because anyone who offers health insurance to their employees needs to understand they are in the health insurance business. (This is the biggest spend on P&Ls!) Despite Chase's agnostic presentation and understanding that there are many great people trying to help members receive care, the system is rigged with perverse incentives and benefit advisors are rewarded by the carriers. The great news is that through partnerships Chase has uncovered proven solutions to make health care affordable to employers and employees while increasing quality outcomes and decreasing out of pocket costs. Chase created Health Rosetta, a LEED-like concept for employer benefit plans. Health Rosetta has over 100 certified employee benefits advisors. They disclose all types of compensation including cruises and other potential perks! Concepts utilized by Health Rosetta advisors are proven. Chase's book illustrates how these methods have worked groups such as Rosen Hotels in FL. Adopting these concepts will allow America to fund roads, education, retirement, and countless other critical areas. Contact a Health Rosetta advisor before annual enrollment! They will help you devise a multi-year plan to reduce employer and employee costs while increasing quality health outcomes.

I have really enjoyed reading this book. It is easy to understand. Explains the problems facing America's healthcare system and the needed changes that are necessary to improve life for all middle class families. When so many families are paying too much for healthcare, this book gives those who can implement the change, practical solutions to improve lives. I think everyone involved with healthcare in crisis, families, medical personnel, benefit providers should read this book. Great job to all involved with the making of this book.

CEO's Guide to Restoring the American Dream is a must read for any business owner, CEO, CFO and benefits advisors that even have a modicum of careing fore their employees / clients health and financial welfare. Dave Chase exposes the dirty truth, backed up by data, about the system today and guides you clearly through solutions that are easily implemented. The group of benefit advisors that I am privileged to work with are fully committed to Dave Chase's approach.

This book was the first of its kind for me. Being in the Health Care industry I was amazed at what I didn’t know. The scary part is those that know some of the things I’ve learned from reading this book are doing them for their good and not the clients! Shameful.

Wonder why wages have been flat for 2 decades? Healthcare costs. Wonder who isn't getting rich? Medical providers (for the most part). Paints a challenging picture of the US medical system and the middle-men who are getting rich at the expense of providing quality healthcare to our citizens.

Pre-tax employer sponsored health insurance, a relic from W.W. II and codified by Congressional action in 1954, is an economic and healthcare disaster. It threatens to bring our industries to its knees. But, employers can get control of this runaway beast and David Chase is chartering the course. His new book, “The CEO’s Guide To Restoring The American Dream: How To deliver World Class Healthcare To Your Employees At Half The Cost”, is nothing less than a how-to-manual for companies to finally get control of this accelerating problem. His Health Rosetta Institute (healthrosetta.org) provides in-depth insight and solutions for employers to provide better care for their employees at far less cost.

This is, quite simply, one of the most important books that I've ever read. It's full of practical and proven advice for improving outcomes and reducing costs. I've handed these out to my consulting clients, and it's also changed the focus of my own practice. Highly recommended!

This book is very digestible for company leaders, briefs them on how our health system is currently set up with too many hands in their pockets, and most importantly offers hope and concrete examples of how anyone who is paying attention can protect themselves from the ubiquitous fraud, waste and abuse that steals $1 trillion a year from our children. Everyone should care that this continues to happen as standard course of business - and Dave lays out how your health plan can be different, with some helpful data-focused examples showing how some prominent groups have tackled the healthcare delivery and financing problems that plague our country.

I have known Dave and his great work - this tops it! Read it in one day, though my neck hurt reading it from all the nodding. Amazing insight that clearly points out many of the major issues leading to crisis in our healthcare system.

This book was instrumental in my research to create the first Master's Degree in Health Benefits Design. Two years ago, I felt this approach to healthcare was perhaps on the fringe. I now believe the momentum for value-based healthcare, at least with working age people, will begin to decline within three years. CEOs who turn a blind eye to unsubstantiated healthcare cost increases are culpable.

The CEO’s guide codifies and explains our healthcare system dysfunction as no single source has yet been able to do. Far more importantly, however, it gives real strategies that are ALREADY working with hundreds of employers across the country, large and small, on what can actually be done about it. Despite years of failure to deliver on promises by carriers, brokers, wellness vendors etc, here is a blueprint that actually works.

Dave Chase and the Health Rosetta Institute benefits experts have with this book clearly framed how the health care cost tsunami can be better managed and cost significantly reduced while improving care/outcomes. The book is full of insightful case studies and each to implement solutions to employer health benefit challenges. Great business trip companion!

Incredibly compelling evidence, of which I've seen first hand, as a medical insurance consultant. Follow this guide, and you'll start to see immediate benefits for both your budget and your employee's well-being. Dave puts the traditional insurance buying process on its head with this guide.... AND WE NEEDED TO. When executed, plan sponsors can reduce medical / Rx spend by more than 30%.

We have been on a 5-year journey to better understand healthcare costs and how we can decrease our spend. He has done an excellent job of unveiling the status quo, very corrupt healthcare system. I appreciate his ability to portray real life examples and give solutions employers can put in place now to save money. It provides not only a deep analysis of the current state but also a practical "how-to" guide to change this. It also makes a very compelling case how employers have a fiscal obligation to more actively manage health care costs. A must read for any CEO, CFO, COO, or HR leaders tasked with improving a company's health care plan!

I loved this book. My company wastes so much money for health insurance every year that nobody uses because it is so difficult. This book opened my eyes to the issues in the health care system and provides concrete steps as to what can be done about it. Highly recommend this book. It is an easy read that will open your eyes to the broken health care system and give you ideas on how to solve it.

Dave Chase uncovers the shenanigans that have plagued employer-purchased health plans where those who benefit most are not the employers or their employees. Once it is clear that putting patients in control of their own health care funds a major key to lowering overall costs, employers can choose plans with the greatest value. If 30% of the $3 trillion health care industry is wasted, there is a huge opportunity for savings, and Dave Chase outlines a way to escape the current high-priced choices.

Read it, practice it and let's restore the American healthcare system together!

This is one of the best books written on how to fix the American broken healthcare. It offers great insights to corporate executives and benefit advisers, as well as HR and benefit professionals on how to best optimize healthcare value for patients, employers, employees, and healthcare providers. Dave Chase is one of the best healthcare innovators leading valuable change to our broken healthcare!

This book is eye opening. It is a must read for any consumer of health care or health insurance. This book will make you a better consumer. It is a must read for any seller of health care or health insurance. This book will make you a better professional. Buy it. Read it. Reread it. You will be happy you did.

Think you can't fix healthcare? Think again. All you need is a good adviser and a little courage. One footnote though...your adviser needs to use this book as their required reading. Spoiler alert...it'll save your health plan!

This is an amazing book addressing the flaws in the healthcare and health insurance system. The need for greater transparency can only lead to better financial and healthcare outcomes for the American people. This is a must read.

Dave Chase possesses a wealth of knowledge in employee benefits and shares stories and objective strategies that will help lower healthcare costs for employers.

This book is for every CFO, CEO, Business Owner, and HR professional, who is tired of taking rate increase every year on their health plans and handing that down to their people.