The United States spends as much on healthcare as almost half the world combined, yet so many Americans are unhealthy. Would universal healthcare be enough alone to rectify this costly state of ill health? Stephen Bezruchka posits that inequality is at the root of our affliction — and that taxing the rich is a necessity. Against the Grain is produced and hosted by Sasha Lilley and broadcast on KPFA Pacifica Radio in Berkeley, California. Stephen Bezruchka, Born Sick in the USA: Improving the Health of a Nation Cambridge University Press, 2026Image: Old Mole Logo next to Photo by Owen Beard on Unsplash, showing an x-ray of a hand making the OKAY sign.