Elisabeth Rosenthal

Elisabeth Rosenthal is a physician, journalist, and author known for her coverage of healthcare, environmental issues, and public health policy. Her most prominent work is the 2017 New York Times bestseller "An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back." As a journalist, Rosenthal spent 22 years as a correspondent for The New York Times, serving as the paper's Beijing bureau chief and European health correspondent. During her tenure, she created and wrote the award-winning series "Paying Till It Hurts," examining the high costs of American healthcare. Currently, Rosenthal serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit news organization focused on health policy and health journalism. She holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and practiced emergency medicine before transitioning to journalism. Her work frequently appears in national publications, and she regularly contributes expert commentary on healthcare policy for media outlets. Rosenthal's reporting has earned multiple awards, including the Association of Health Care Journalists' Beat Reporting Award and the Victor Cohn Prize for Medical Science Reporting.

Readers value Rosenthal's insider perspective as both a physician and journalist when explaining America's healthcare system. Her book "An American Sickness" receives praise for breaking down complex healthcare pricing and business practices into clear explanations with actionable advice. What readers liked: - Detailed examples and case studies that illustrate systemic problems - Practical tips for navigating medical bills and insurance - Clear writing style that makes complex topics accessible - Evidence-based approach with extensive research citations What readers disliked: - Some find the solutions offered too simplistic for systemic issues - Repetitive examples in certain chapters - Focus primarily on problems rather than solutions - Political bias in certain sections Ratings across platforms: Amazon: 4.6/5 from 1,200+ reviews Goodreads: 4.3/5 from 8,000+ ratings Common reader comment: "Eye-opening explanation of why healthcare costs so much, though I wish there were more concrete solutions." Some readers note the book works better as an explanation of problems than as a practical guide for individuals seeking to reduce medical costs.

An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back (2017) An investigation of the U.S. healthcare system, examining how medical pricing works and documenting the system's transformation from a caring endeavor to a financial enterprise.

Healing: From Doctor to Patient, from Sickness to Health (2023) A first-person account of the author's experience as both physician and patient, detailing her recovery from a serious bicycle accident while analyzing systemic healthcare issues.

Maryn McKenna writes about antibiotic resistance, public health systems, and the intersection of medicine and policy. Her investigative work on healthcare economics and the pharmaceutical industry parallels Rosenthal's focus on systemic issues in American healthcare.

Steven Brill examines the business structures and financial practices within the US healthcare system. His analysis of hospital billing, insurance negotiations, and medical costs aligns with Rosenthal's exploration of healthcare pricing.

Shannon Brownlee focuses on overtreatment and waste in the American medical system. Her work investigates how financial incentives shape medical decision-making and impact patient care.

Maggie Mahar covers the history and evolution of the American healthcare system, including insurance markets and hospital operations. She analyzes healthcare policy changes and their effects on patients and providers.

T.R. Reid compares healthcare systems across different countries and examines various models of medical care delivery. His research on international healthcare solutions provides context for understanding US healthcare challenges.