An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back

In An American Sickness, the American patient is the book’s intended audience. Some of the more complex concepts in Part 1 are grounded by firsthand testimony from American patients, and Rosenthal’s retelling of these accounts makes the material more accessible and humanizes the cause. Rosenthal frequently mentions that almost every American, regardless of differences in political party, career path, or geographical location, experiences setbacks as a result of the healthcare industry. Her testimonials are sourced from people that readers might recognize from their everyday life, whether that be Olga Baker, the concerned mother who was swindled into paying for a surgery her daughter didn’t need, or Hope Marcus, who struggled to pay for a lifesaving drug.

In Part 2, the reader, presumably the average American patient, takes center stage as the book’s main subject. Rosenthal directly addresses the reader, arguing that patients can be empowered to address the system’s problems through information. Many issues with the healthcare system persist because patients are either unaware of their severity or feel helpless to combat them. Patients are an untapped resource for change.