The World Economic Forum met this past week in Switzerland to discuss trending economic issues in the world and share ideas on how to solve them. An inevitable topic was healthcare universally. It was commented that the healthcare is "sick and injured" and in the US it is the only growing big-ticket expense item at around 18% of government spending. Clearly healthcare needs to become more affordable, but more preventative as well. Only 1.5% of healthcare spending is spent on diagnostics, but upwards of 80% is spent on those diagnoses. Technology and information are key. A deeper focus is needed for providing education and information to those in need of medical attention, and this will drive healthcare costs down as treatment becomes more preventative.
But how much is this the government's responsibility? The article inserts an interesting piece about how regardless of the technological change, and without a cultural change, will not be enough to support the healthcare system. Some of the private investors suggest that they would like to see those pay for their own healthcare to suggest that fitness and exercise is cheaper than operations and insurance. So it appears that this is not only an economic issue but a societal one as well. As the health of society remains as a top priority on the world spectrum, the question posed is whether to attack it with more changes to the system itself, or begin efforts in helping those to become more responsible for their own health first.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21183984
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