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Christina Nesheva

GlaxoSmithKline plc

TEDCRED 50+
AssociateTED Translator

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What is the future of healthcare? How can it become health care vs sickness treatment? What role do technology and innovation play?

Healthcare costs are rising, the population is aging and medical needs are greater than ever. How can patients receive better quality care at an affordable price? How can we leverage technology to provide better and more affordable healthcare around the world?

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Topics: Healthcare e-health innovation medicine
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  • Shaju Davis

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    Oct 19 2011: I believe that healthcare issues can be corrected only if all parties involved are properly incentivised. In the US the employer generally pays the insurance premiums to the health insurance companies. The insurance companies pays the doctors and the hospitals. And they inturn are expected to provide service to the employee or the patient. Remember all parties want to improve their net returns. So the employee has less incentive to take care of his health because it costs him less to go to the doctor for any symptom of illness. This results in poor health and more visits to the doctor. The doctors or the medical establishmenst would like to increase their revenue. So they encourage multiple visits and also prescribes unnecessary tests and costly procedures and medicines. Also because of the malpractice issue they are more likely to play it safe by requirng MRi's and CTscans and other such tests to confirm diagnosis with high levels of accuracy. This increases the overall cost of treatment while increasing the profitability of the medical industry. The insurance companies then average the costs over their insurers and go back to employers for more premiums every year. The employers therefore have inherent incentive to reduce salaries and employment. Eventually it is the employee that is hurt in the long run.

    If everyone is brought under this umbrella insurance the insurance costs will explode or the quality of service will take a significant hit with no long term solution.

    So maybe
    1. Increase the deductible that the employee has to pay for healthcare while simultaneously requiring employers to transfer a certain said sum as healthcare allowance. This sum will accrue to the employee if he does not have to visit doctors as much. This will give hime an incentive to live healthier.
    2. Increase the level of education about health through nationwide campaigns.
    3. Maybe spend billions on nationwide get- fit programs instead of supporting defunct bankrupt institutions.

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