News & Insights
News & Insights
BOOK: JOE PUBLIC 2030
Predict-O-Meter
Joe Public 2030 makes five bold predictions about the future, which range from exciting and promising to ominous and discouraging. Through the Predict-O-Meter, we’ll continuously assess the state of the healthcare industry to track the accuracy of the five predictions.
Five Potent Predictions Reshaping How Consumers Engage Healthcare
FALL 2023 UPDATE
What influenced our latest rating?
According to a recently released NIH study, health disparities cost the U.S. more than $450 billion in 2018 alone. The dramatic impact on health caused by climate change is worsening. Many American families face an average of $20,000 a year in healthcare costs. Older Americans face increasing medical costs at the same time the industry suffers from a dramatic labor shortage, impacting access and the quality of care. Healthcare in the U.S continues to track way behind other nations, and the situation is worsening for those facing health disparities and inequities. Maybe the upcoming presidential election will change things? We’d give it a snowball’s chance…
Relevant News
- Extreme heat drives $1B in excess healthcare utilization per year, study estimates – Fierce Healthcare, July 19, 2023
- Over 40 million health professionals demand bold health and climate action at COP28 – WHO, December 2, 2023
- An open letter to Congress: Is healthcare at a tipping point? – Healthcare Uncovered, May 24, 2023
ORIGINAL PREDICTION
The Covid-19 pandemic shone an ugly light on the disparities that have plagued the U.S. healthcare system for decades. Unfortunately, that health gap is more likely than not to expand, as the “haves” gain access to increasingly more expensive medical treatments, health services, and personalized care, while the “have nots” will face growing shortages of basic health resources, from clean water and air to physicians and clinicians, rural healthcare, and more. This shift will be compounded by the mental health crisis, which disproportionately affects systemically disadvantaged populations and groups outside traditional healthcare access channels (teens, for example). All while those entities that might address these disparities increasingly struggle financially – health systems, health plans, state and federal governments – and others lack the incentives to focus on the growing issue.