From my own research:
Twenty-five percent of the U.S. community population are reported to have one or more of five major chronic conditions:
- Mood disorders.
- Diabetes.
- Heart disease.
- Asthma.
- Hypertension.
Total expenses for people with these five major chronic conditions accounts for ~ 49 percent of total health care costs.
And, I’ve heard that all chronic conditions actually represent around 85% of spending.
The really interesting thing to me is that technology is well positioned to disrupt current models of care for these chronic conditions. Internet-based interventions can potentially treat mood disorders and hypertension (in lieu of expensive pharmaceuticals and other consumables). The Internet can also be used to more effectively manage diabetes and heart disease, to decrease the risks of these diseases, as well as prescribe preventative measures for those in the population at risk of these conditions.
I’ve heard the analogy that routine healthcare (checkups) etc. should be treated like a car’s oil change, an out of pocket expense, and insurance should be structured, to focus on catastrophic or emergency health.
