One of the prime reasons I founded the Public Forum Institute was a strong belief in the role ordinary citizens can play in addressing chronic stalemates on vital national policy issues. After moderating hundreds of congressionally-chaired health policy forums over the years, I conclude it will be other developments outside of top-down reform that drive improvements in health care. It seems inevitable that with so many people’s income dependent on our health care industry, even the most well-meaning politicians face a never-ending path of discourse in their efforts to improve health care without disrupting such a large chunk of the American economy. The revolution in consumer data may be just one of those new game changers.
Today, patients run little of the health care show. They are passive actors reacting to various hurdles from insurers, doctors, and hospitals. This is ironic given that one-third of health care patients choose what course of treatment to pursue. Today, doctors' preferences still prevail which, despite some recent slowing, is helping push U.S. health care spending to 17% of GDP with most nations being closer to 10% and Singapore only 4%. And what you and I spend on health care is about 2.5 percentage points higher than the general rate of inflation. Doctors should be equipped to explain more choices, and patients need to be better empowered to become the entrepreneurs of their own care.
To read the full, original article click on this link: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Your Health Care - Entrepreneurship.org
