Top Ten Impediments to Better Health & Health Care in the United States
Top Ten Impediments to Better Health & Health Care in the United States
Health care is a central “good,” to use the economists’ term, and makes up a large and ever growing part of the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, despite much to be proud of,there’s ample room for improvement. Indeed, some would argue that, with its skyrocketing costs, uneven access and quality, misaligned incentives, and uninsured patients, the U.S. health care system is nowhere near what the world’s richest and most powerful country should be able to achieve. This report examines that gap.
In its health-related research projects, the Institute for the Future (IFTF) usually looks at emerging trends and discontinuities in order to understand what these mean for clients. For this report, Top Ten Impediments to Better Health and Health Care in the
United States (SR-900), we decided to “invert the lens” and look not directly at the futures of health and health care, but rather at impediments to those futures. By better understanding those impediments, we hope to shed light on future risks—and opportunities.
Publication Date
May 2005