Allen Luo, Annotated Bibliography Sources

Part 1: Citation

Audrey Kearney, Liz Hamel, Mellisha Stokes, and Mollyann Brodie. “Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs.” KFF, 14 Dec. 2021, www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/. 

Part 2: Summary

This source describes in detail using statistical data and analyzation of polling data to describe the challenges of high cost of healthcare in America. Some key points in this source are how more adults in America have trouble affording healthcare, how high costs of healthcare creates racial inequality in terms of access to healthcare, the burdens of paying bills with and without insurance.

Part 3: Reflection

I would say that this source definitely made me consider other avenues of this topic that I hadn’t even thought about. For example, I didn’t even realize there was racial inequality in healthcare. They also mentioned other key points, but what was vital in my decision for choosing this source was that everything was backed up by statistical data. It really helps to prove a point, when everything is quantifiable and can be numerically proven. I also researched the KFF prior to utilizing this source, they have good credentials and have been around for decades which is a relief to know when using this piece as evidence.

When reading the article, I didn’t really find any bias since it was backed up by data. I also felt that the authors purposefully wrote this piece to be easily accessible and readable to reach out to a broader audience about the dangers of high healthcare costs. For example, they provided numerical data on how many adults said they skipped on healthcare due to the cost, which was eye opening.

Part 4: Quotations

“Besides differences by income and race or ethnicity, a KFF report from 2019 found that people without health insurance were disproportionately likely to put off or skip medical care or take over-the-counter medicines instead of prescription drugs due to costs. Three-fourths of adults 18-64 (76%) without health insurance reported this, compared to half (52%) of adults with health insurance.”

This quote really surprised me. As a nursing student, I understand how important prescription medication is to health and wellness. To see that many people have to suffer because of the affordability only strengthens my resolve to research this topic further.

Part 1: Citation

Haseltine, William A. Affordable Excellence: The Singapore Healthcare Story: How to Create and Manage Sustainable Healthcare Systems. Brookings Institution Press, 2013.

Part 2: summary

This book compares the healthcare systems between the United States and Singapore. More specifically, I read chapter 3 which is titled High Quality, Low Cost. This chapter provides statistical data on mortality rates and recovery rates on each country in comparison. It also provides numerical cost analysis on each country for that category of healthcare. This shows that you can get high quality care and not over charge your citizens.

Part 3: Reflection

While researching my question, I asked myself what sets the US’ healthcare apart from other countries. This is important because we charge more for healthcare than any other country. Does that mean that our healthcare is of higher quality? Apparently not, because after reading Affordable Excellence, and comparing the health care systems between the US and Singapore, it shows that high expenditure does not correlate to higher quality. Singapore’s health system is top notch, but does not bankrupt its citizens that utilize the healthcare system.

Part 4: Quotations

“Good healthcare is expensive, and many of the most-developed nations of the
world are finding that the ever-rising costs for quality care are unsustainable.
Singapore, on the other hand, has deftly managed to keep its costs low
without sacrificing quality. In fact, it has achieved that exceptionally high
rating from the World Health Organization while spending less per capita
than any other high-income economy”

Part 1: Citation

Kronenfeld, Jennie Jacobs, et al. Debates on U.S. Health Care. SAGE Publications, 2012.

Part 2: Summary

This book describes key points in the debate for universal healthcare and other facets of the United States healthcare system. Each chapter presents a point and a count point for a major topic in the healthcare arena currently. They then discuss the upside and downside of each. For an example, in chapter 3 they debate whether or not healthcare is a human right.

Part 3: Reflection

I believe this format provides a baseline to check your bias while researching. This book really forces you to analyze opinions on both sides of the spectrum which I find super important when writing about critical issues about something as big as healthcare in the United States.

Part 4: Quotation

“Expanding slightly on the question of whether human health is a right, one might ask whether or not the United States is already addressing it as such. Given that there were about 50 million uninsured Americans at the time of the ACA’s
passage, the answer to that question might seem obvious—no, the United States is not currently respecting the universal right to health.”