into your own hands, I highly recommend this book! This book teaches you exactly what you need to know in order to get the most value out of your health care dollar, haggle with your insurance company, find Dr. Right and fire Dr. Wrong, pay less for drugs, avoid a misdiagnosis, make the most out of learning from the internet, get your medical questions answered, stay safe in the hospital, avoid falling prey to medical marketing, and learn to be a "bad" patient. Buy it. You'll love it. You'll read it more than once. You'll tell everyone you know about it. And if you pay attention, I promise you'll get better health care. For more about Elizabeth Cohen's book, visit my website for a complete review: Elizabeth Cohen and I first compared notes about patient empowerment in 2007, before many people were talking about the necessity for patients to understand the healthcare system and how to advocate for themselves. We had an immediate connection - both of us had suffered at the hands of the healthcare system, and both of us are driven to make sure we prevent others from suffering needlessly, too. These years later, Elizabeth has penned an outstanding primer for kickstarting that process in patients. Just as the title promises, readers will come away with the foundation of understanding why they need to step up, and the basic tools they need to advocate for themselves - to become empowered. The Empowered Patient is so very readable. It's