Our Big Appetite For Healthcare By Daniel J. Stone

In 2013, California physician Daniel J. Stone wrote an article for the Los Angeles Times titled “Our Big Appetite for Healthcare.” Stone wrote this article because he wants people informed about the growing addiction that people in Southern California have for healthcare. He outlines how the problem is bad for both doctors and patients. By publishing this article, the Los Angeles Times hopes to have people more knowledgeable about the reality of overusing healthcare. Stone uses two persuasive strategies to interest readers. The first strategy is where he gives statistics about the large use of medical services when he says “Los Angeles leads the nation in the amount of medical services provided during the last six months of a person's life. Healthy seniors here are also big consumers of healthcare, getting about 65% more MRI studies and utilizing ambulances three times as often as seniors elsewhere.” Because of the statistics, readers have a reason to view Stone’s article as a reliable source of information. The article’s appeal to logic and reason enhances the argument Stone is making.

Because of Stone’s profession as a physician, readers are able to better understand his point. Stone also talks about how the healthcare demand is also a problem for the patients when he says “the questions were never asked and her knee was never examined. The patient simply called her doctor's office and requested the MRI. The patient saved a trip and got what she wanted.” Discussing the problem for both sides would appeal to a large population who are in need of healthcare because they could learn how to properly use medical services. Because of Stone addressing issues for both the doctors and patients, having people more informed about healthcare overuse would be