The health care system is an industry that will personally touch all of us at some point in our lives. But as it consumes an ever-larger share of the US economy, it also threatens our financial well-being. Especially as a new administration moves to "repeal or replace" or "fix" the Affordable Care Act, now is the time to gain a deeper understanding of the health industry.

That's the subject of this new book by Ron Howrigon, President and CEO of Fulcrum Strategies. "Health care is the largest single segment of our economy and it is quickly spiraling out of control," the author comments. "This book can give readers and understanding of the health care industry, why it's in trouble-and what needs to happen to fix it."

This book presents a concise, comprehensible overview of the critical issues and challenges facing the economics of health care. Readers will learn about:

• The unsustainable rate of inflation in the cost of health care-and the "market adjustment" that could send the US economy into a tailspin.
• The three economic factors that explain why health care costs keep rising, and the changes necessary to reverse that trend.
• The Affordable Care Act, six years on-its unanticipated effects on the health care system, and why the exchanges are at risk of failing.
• How "Repeal and Replace" could set the stage for a meltdown of the US healthcare system.
• The prescription for the cure-seven areas where decisive action is needed to create a more sustainable model for health care.
• How physicians and hospitals need to prepare for the "tectonic shift" in how they get paid.

"The US health care system is a product of who we are and what we are as a country," Ron Howrigon writes. FLATLINING: HOW HEALTH CARE COULD KILL THE US ECONOMY offers a cleared-eyed look at how health care system got to where it is today, and the critical decisions that will be needed to ensure its sustainability in the future.