The Future of U.S. Health Care, A FUTURIST Magazine Primer

Health Insurance in America After the Reform
By Jay Herson and David Pearce Snyder
Summary: "If for-profit health insurers find that business is too unprofitable under the new law, where will Americans find affordable coverage? One solution may rise from the nonprofit sector led by credit unions, which have already demonstrated an ability to keep up with for-profit banks.
The primary objective of President Obama’s 2009 health care reform initiative was to provide health insurance for an estimated 46 million people who did not have it. The Act requires insurers not to reject coverage on the basis of preexisting health conditions, and it requires all citizens to purchase health insurance or to pay a tax should they decline to purchase."
Revolutionary Health: Local Solutions for Global Health Problems
By Rick Docksai
Summary: "Better health care doesn’t have to be costlier, as a number of innovative health practitioners are showing. In India, Venezuela, and elsewhere, the strategic use of technology, community involvement, and resource reallocations are enabling health-care providers to treat more patients more effectively, all while spending less money."
From Hospital to “Healthspital”: A Better Paradigm for Health Care
By Frank W. Maletz
Summary: "Hospitals should not simply be places where people go to get well (or, worse, where they go to die). Future hospitals could become wellness information centers and proactive partners in community well-being, says a practicing orthopedic surgeon."
Could Medical Tourism Aid Health-Care Delivery?
By Prema Nakra
Summary: "Medical tourism—wherein patients seek more affordable or specialized treatment outside their home countries—represents a major challenge for health-care delivery in developed countries such as the United States. It also offers an opportunity to integrate and improve medical delivery globally."
We hope these articles put today's ruling into future perspective. Just a reminder, THE FUTURIST magazine and the World Future Society are nonprofit and nonpartisan. Support our work by becoming a member today!
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Each year since 1985, the editors of THE FUTURIST have selected the most thought-provoking ideas and forecasts appearing in the magazine to go into our annual Outlook report. The forecasts are meant as conversation starters, not absolute predictions about the future. We hope that this report--covering developments in business and economics, demography, energy, the environment, health and medicine, resources, society and values, and technology--inspires you to tackle the challenges, and seize the opportunities, of the coming decade. Here are our top ten.
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The Internet of Things and Smartphones are Breaking the Internet

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BiFi, Biology, Engineering and Artifical Life

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