Annotated Bibliography

Armbruster, Ben. "GOP Rep. Admits That Health Insurance Companies Control The Market And Dictate Medical Decisions." Think Progress. 17 July 2009. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2009/07/17/51365/gop-rep-health-insurance/>.

This article discusses the control that insurance companies have over the medical field, from the perspective of clients and a Republican Congressman.  The client described his struggle with having to see many physicians and undergoing many tests because his insurance company dictated where he was allowed to go and which diagnostic tests were accepted.  The Congressman addressed his frustration with insurance companies, saying that they control markets and influence physicians’ decisions.  In the remainder of the article, the author Ben Armbruster wrote that 1 in 6 metropolitan areas in the US are dominated by one health insurer, causing limited choices and higher prices, and thus higher profits for insurance companies.  Armbruster goes on to criticize the GOP’s current preservation of the nation’s health insurance.

            This article is reliable in the sense that it is a credited American political blog that discusses progressive ideas.  Given that it all blog posts are written by individuals with a political bias and the blog itself potentially leans in one direction or another (this particular article criticizes the GOP’s perspective on healthcare) it will be a bias source.  The author of the article is the National Security Editor for ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.  The article’s purpose is meant to inform readers of political controversy.  

Miller, Ben. "Healthcare Insurance, Providers & Patients: The Blind Men and the Elephant." Occupy Healthcare. Word Press & ThemeID, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <c>.

This blog post aims to describe the healthcare dilemma by looking at it from the perspective of everyone involved: insurance companies, consumers, and physicians.  The article compares the situation to the age- old anecdote of the blind men and the elephant, every part of the situation interprets it differently.   Furthermore, every side of the argument is making decisions on healthcare concerning their own interest (financial, legal, etc), which is almost always in contrast with the other sides of the argument.  Insurance companies dictate reimbursement for what they will and will not cover, physicians make decisions in the best interest of themselves and the consumer, but they do not want to be sued, and patients are trying to get quality healthcare without going into debt.  This article does not suggest a solution, but rather says that all sides of the argument should come up with rational solutions while thinking of the opinions of the other two sides. 

            This source is taken from a blog called Occupy Healthcare, a forum where the community can discuss healthcare.  Because it is more geared toward the general population’s opinion of the current situation, and many members of the general population are currently unhappy with their coverage, the blog typically discusses means of healthcare reform. In this sense it is a biased source because it is arguing against the current form of healthcare.  The author of this particular blog post is Dr. Ben Miller, the founder of Occupy Healthcare, a blog inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protesters.  Dr. Miller claims that the blog is not meant to be a complaint board.  The purpose of the blog, and this article, is to discuss thoughts about current healthcare and its reform, educate readers, and generate awareness about current health issues.