Health care in America is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be, according to the late Uwe Reinhardt, a leader in health care policy. Reinhardt provides an incisive look at the American health care system in a new book, “Priced Out: The Economic and Ethical Costs of American Health Care,” published by Princeton University Press.

Tsung-Mei Cheng, health policy research analyst at Princeton and Uwe’s partner in work and life, discusses the nuances of health care in this episode and why Uwe was so passionate about explaining (and fixing) this complex system.

Reinhardt taught at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Economics for nearly 50 years. Throughout his career, he strongly influenced American health care, serving as an adviser to the White House and other governments.

Endnotes is a series produced by WooCast, the podcast enterprise of the Woodrow Wilson School. You can subscribe here and listen on SoundCloud.