{"id":3824,"date":"2018-06-28T13:08:04","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T13:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/803.557.mywebsitetransfer.com\/?p=3824"},"modified":"2018-06-28T18:45:37","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T18:45:37","slug":"why-does-the-u-s-spend-so-much-in-healthcare-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pwer.com\/?p=3824","title":{"rendered":"Why does the U.S. spend so much in healthcare? (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our last blog, we brought up the recent article in The Atlantic<\/em> magazine, noting the title had gotten my attention: \u201cHow We Spend $3,400,000,000,000 – Why more than half of America\u2019s healthcare spending goes to five percent of patients.\u201d\u00a0 As we stated, younger people generally don\u2019t spend very much money on healthcare with relatively modest costs until about age 45 when the cost begins to escalate yearly.<\/p>\n

I have had the honor and pleasure to speak to numerous young people \u2013 innovators in healthcare \u2013 that are seeking to enter healthcare technology. \u00a0I uniformly support their interest in healthcare and agree that the healthcare technology\/digital health revolution is just beginning. \u00a0I advise them, that whatever gadget, software or application they create, should be designed for an 80-year-old Hispanic female. \u00a0Before you get offended by that statement and assume the wrong thing, let me say that effectively describes my mother.<\/p>\n

My mother may have come late to the electronic age, however today she has a Fitbit, a Samsung Galaxy S7, a laptop and two iPads \u2013 all using high speed internet. \u00a0She has an email address, a Facebook page, and uses WhatsApp on her phone. \u00a0So, she is not unfamiliar with technology.<\/p>\n

My mother also checks her Fitbit data using her iPad. \u00a0So, I will tell those that are wishing to revolutionize healthcare with new technology the same thing \u2013 think 80-year-old Hispanic female. \u00a0As you will recall, we also noted that \u201c65-84-year-olds spend about $18,000 per year on healthcare (of that about $5,000 is out of pocket).\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, technology and health reporter Christina Farr [@chrissyfarr] wrote an insightful article for CNBC.com, titled \u201cWhy Apple should hire your grandmother.\u201d<\/em> \u00a0The keynote point was \u201ccompanies have been much more focused on designing their products for millennials.\u201d \u00a0This reiterates the issue we have previously noted, millennials as a generation are barely registering in cost of healthcare; likely impacting healthcare only about 25% as much as 80-year-olds.<\/p>\n

Ms. Farr made these relevant points:<\/p>\n