By Gil Bashe, editor-in-chief , Medika Life
LinkedIn: Gil Bashe
X: @Gil_Bashe
Host of Health UnaBASHEd – #HealthUnaBASHEd
Tom Lawry’s Newest Book is Not Another Health Reform Manifesto
“Tom Lawry does more than write about fixing health care — he rallies us to become the ‘Rosa Parks of the system’ to spark a movement of meaningful change. In this thought-provoking book, he offers a much-welcomed departure from the tireless blame game and fruitless top-down prescriptions that dominate health care reform discussions. Lawry hands the power back to us — patients, clinicians, business leaders, and advocates — showing how small, deliberate action can add up to transformative change.”
That’s what I wrote for the back cover review of Health Care Nation — The Future is Calling and it’s Better Than You Think, and I stand by every word.
Tom Lawry’s latest work is not just another entry in the crowded shelf of health reform manifestos. It’s a departure — a soulful, purposeful, and powerfully personal invitation for Americans to reclaim their role in shaping a sustainable, people-centered health system. A far cry from his earlier, system-focused books like Hacking Healthcare, this one calls on the public to lead from where we are.
From the Systems to the Soul of Care
Lawry opens with an urgent truth:
“Whether a patient, health consumer, physician, nurse, health executive, or elected official… the American health system isn’t working, and it will only worsen if we don’t do something about it”.
It’s a sentiment many share — a health ecosystem that spends more than any other yet yields worse outcomes, fragmented delivery, and frustrated stakeholders. But rather than drowning us in data or despair, Lawry offers a map toward empowerment. His solution is not a policy playbook — it’s a call to find our voice.
We do not lack innovation or financial wherewithal. The United States already invests almost 20 percent of its GDP in health-related costs. But it has lost its way and soul. Empathy is the superpower of health delivery. Health care isn’t fixed from boardrooms or algorithms alone — it’s healed through listening, inclusion, and action. Tom echoes this when he writes:
“This book is about helping you discover or refine your own voice in keeping with your unique needs, values, and experiences”.
Health Care Fatalism — and Why Hope Is the Cure
One of Lawry’s most insightful contributions is his diagnosis of a cultural condition we often overlook: health care fatalism — the belief that the system is broken beyond repair and that we’re powerless to change it. It’s a kind of national learned helplessness.
“Symptoms include feelings of anger, despair, and hopelessness… leading us to believe there is no point in personally trying to change anything”.
But the antidote, he insists, is hope — not as blind optimism, but as a practice. As action. As mindset. Drawing on behavioral science and human stories, he encourages us to “micro-dose hope,” to take small, deliberate steps that add up over time — a butterfly effect of reform.
Hope is essential for civic health. People must see a pathway from outrage to outcome. Lawry gives them that in this surprise volume.
The System as America’s Largest Escape Room
In one of the book’s most striking metaphors, Lawry describes the U.S. health system as “America’s largest escape room,” locking “our most talented health experts and consumers in a labyrinth” of misaligned incentives, outdated workflows, and contradictory policies.
Despite being home to world-class science and clinicians, we remain stuck. Why?
Because, as Lawry explains, the system was never designed as a system. It’s a patchwork of policies created for different eras and purposes — one that now serves no one efficiently. The solution is not blame, he writes, but understanding:
“Let’s dispense with the notion of bad players… and shine a light on flawed processes and misaligned incentives driving a dysfunctional behemoth”.
Fragmentation isn’t accidental — it’s embedded. Until we name and reimagine those design flaws, the best ideas will remain trapped.
A Nation in Paradox — and in Possibility
One of Lawry’s greatest strengths is his ability to hold complexity. He says American health care is extraordinary — if you’re wealthy, insured, and near an academic medical center. But for millions, that promise is a mirage.
“The richest men in America live longer than the average man in any other country. The poorest have life expectancies comparable to men in Sudan or Pakistan”.
He exposes these disparities not with condemnation but with conviction that they can be addressed — if we shift from a “break-fix” model to one rooted in prevention, equity, and sustainability.
“Health is more than medicine,” he writes. “It’s the starting point for all things… anchored to health, well-being, and happiness”.
The Power of One — and All
Perhaps the most empowering element of Health Care Nation is its insistence that change is personal. This is not a book written for readers — it’s written for and with them.
“Health care won’t fix itself. And it won’t be fixed by the people comfortable with the status quo. But it can be changed by individuals like you — patients, clinicians, business leaders, and ordinary citizens — who refuse to accept the way things are”.
In that spirit, the book is interspersed with “For Your Consideration” sections — questions that challenge readers to reflect on their experiences, assumptions, and power. It’s an active read, a collaborative call.
Final Thoughts: A Compass, Not Just a Critique
We’ve had our fill of books that critique. We need more that inspire — that help us move from informed despair to engaged hope. Health Care Nation is that book.
Tom Lawry has given us a rare thing: a manifesto that combines the pragmatism of a systems thinker with the compassion of a caregiver and the urgency of a citizen. It challenges us to stop waiting and start acting — to lead from where we are.
If you’re ready to stop railing at the machine and start reimagining what health care could be, this is the book to read — and to share.
Because the future of health isn’t only in legislation, innovation, or regulation.
This was originally published in Being Well Health and Wellness, A Medika Life Publication and is syndicated here with permission.
Listen in to this episode of Health UnaBASHEd where host Gil Bashe recorded live at HIMSS25 with guest Tom Lawry, author, keynote speaker and AI thought leader, and they discuss his new book.