Free for the Classroom
Both books, free as black-and-white PDFs for teachers, professors and students.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Why I’m Offering This
I didn't write these books to make money. I wrote them because I believe the next generation deserves a better healthcare system than the one we're handing them.
Classrooms are where that conversation should start. Students will spend their whole lives paying into, working in and depending on American healthcare. Yet few are ever taught how it is actually governed.
So I'm making both books free for educators. Print them, assign them, share chapters with your students. No cost and no catch. My only ask is that you help the conversation grow.
Sheri A. Mancini, MD, FACS
THE CLASSROOM EDITIONS
What's Included
Two books. Two perspectives. One conversation about how American healthcare is governed—and how it could work differently.
Healthcare as Infrastructure: A Constitutional Approach to Reform
The foundational book. It starts with first principles: what institutions exist to do, and why classification comes before governance. It then walks through who actually governs American healthcare today and how treating it as infrastructure could change that.
Two Countries, One Idea: Healthcare as Infrastructure in Practice
The companion book. It shows how the Netherlands and Switzerland, two capitalist countries, reached universal coverage through regulated private insurance, not single payer. It is honest about what they get wrong and sketches a blueprint for the United States.
Both books are free. Black-and-white PDFs, formatted for easy reading on screen or printing.
MADE FOR LEARNING
Who It's For
These books are for anyone creating space for thoughtful conversations about American healthcare.
High school civics, government, economics and AP classes
College courses in public policy, political science, health administration and public health
Medical, nursing, physician assistant and pharmacy schools
Residency programs and grand rounds
Libraries, book clubs and community discussion groups
If you're teaching it, it's for you.
YOUR CLASSROOM COPIES
Get Your Free Copies
Tell me a little about your class and both PDFs will be ready to download right away.
I read every submission, and it means a great deal to know where these ideas are being discussed.
Request Your Classroom Editions
Complete the form below to access your free copies.
START THE CONVERSATION
Ideas for the Classroom
A few questions to start the discussion:
What purpose does healthcare exist to serve? How would you answer before reading, and after?
Is healthcare routine market commerce, or is it infrastructure? Why does that classification matter for how it is governed?
Limited government is not the same as minimal government. What is the difference, and where does healthcare fit?
The Netherlands and Switzerland kept private insurers and still reached universal coverage. What did they choose to regulate, and why?
Every system has weaknesses. Which problems in the Dutch and Swiss systems would the United States most need to plan for?
If you were advising your own representative, what is the first question you would ask about how healthcare is governed in your state?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Bring the Conversation to Your Classroom
I'm glad to join a class in person or by video for a guest lecture, Q&A or discussion.
Invite Sheri to SpeakGOOD TO KNOW
Questions
A few practical details about requesting, sharing and using the free classroom editions.
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no cost, now or later.
Can I share the PDF with my students?
Yes. You may share it by email, through your course site or learning management system, or as printed copies. Each student does not need to fill out the form.
Can I print it?
Yes. The PDFs are black and white so they print cleanly and cheaply. They are sized as 6 × 9 inch pages; choose “Fit to page” when printing on standard letter paper.
Can I use excerpts in slides or handouts?
Yes, for classroom and non-commercial use. Please credit the book and author.
What can't I do?
Please don't sell the PDFs or change their contents.
Where can I get the color editions or the audiobooks?
The full-color paperbacks and ebooks are on Amazon, and the audiobooks are on Spotify. See the Books & Media page.
I'm not a teacher. Can I still get a copy?
Yes. If you value this conversation, you're welcome to request the PDFs too.