Healthcare: Dec. 30, 2017

Healthcare

Healthcare spending in the United States occupies an increasingly large portion of the federal budget and will continue to grow at an alarming rate if measures are not taken to reform the sector. Pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and insurance providers combine with heavy federal and state regulations to create a complex, fragmented delivery system that ultimately confuses and masks true costs from the general population. Incentivized by the current payment system, the sector focuses on disease care rather than preventive care. There continues to be a lack of national consensus as reflected by the difficulty Congress faces in finding a solution to the healthcare debate, which can delay, dilute, and even dismiss any momentum for meaningful change. This stagnation will drive additional mandatory federal spending at the expense of discretionary programs critical to national prosperity and security, including investments in diplomacy and defense necessary for an effective foreign policy. Ultimately, the complexity of healthcare in the United States creates exorbitant inefficiencies which inflate costs, reduce access, and place value on quantity over quality. Consequently, through extensive field investigations and academic research, this report examines the current status of healthcare in America along with future constraints and opportunities, then provides realistic and achievable recommendations to target improved population health and healthcare value.