International Public Healthcare Startups: The Future of Medicine

Abstract

Health should not be the absence of disease but the presence of wellness. However, sick care of the dis- eased state is the focus of modern allopathic medicine. Half of the United States’ healthcare budget is spent on five percent of the population. Medical and pharmaceutical companies see the advantage of focusing on tertiary illnesses, or illnesses that perpetuate disease. It is socially and morally good to treat even tertiary illnesses, but earlier preventive steps could be taken to minimize expensive tertiary care treatment. Cur- rently, creating products that treat disease states is profitable, while maintaining wellness through primary care is not. That is where the government and insurance companies have the opportunity to incentivize primary-health and wellness operations. For example, a health insurance company may incentivize a free health examination with a financial rebate. Insurance companies reduce gym membership rates if the member attends with enough frequency. Additionally, the government may tax consumables that hinder health such as tobacco products and items with a high sugar content.Even with eighteen percent of U.S. GDP spent on healthcare and with insurer incentives, primary care is not sufficient in the U.S. and in many international locations, and the focus on tertiary care has been catastrophic for the economies. Therefore, it is worth examining country-wide and international strategies for increasing preventive care.