Question

There has been much discussion regarding alternatives to the Affordable Care Act. In the "ideal" world what would you like to see as a replacement? Are you aware of any country where such a system has been implemented? How could technology improve our current system?

Answer 1

In the "ideal" world what would you like to see as a replacement?

Repealing the ACA with No Replacement:

If the ACA were fully and immediately repealed, with no replacement, the number of insured Americans would drop by 19.7 million to 231.9 million in 2017 as estimated by analysis conducted in 2016. Out-of-pocket costs for an enrollee in the individual market would average $7400 annually, an increase of $4200 over the status quo. Repeal would increase the federal deficit by $33.1 billion annually compared with the status quo, largely because it would eliminate the ACA’s revenue-raising provisions.

Replacing ACA with a Single Payer Plan:

RAND research has also examined the impact of replacing the ACA with single-payer plans. The analysis looked at two scenarios:

1. Adopting the American Health Security Act, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders in 2011. The plan is a Medicare-for-all proposal that would replace the ACA as well as Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP with uniform, single-tiered coverage managed by the federal government. The plan would not allow private health insurance. There is little or no cost sharing for enrollees.
2. The Health-Insurance Solution, a plan focused on catastrophic coverage in which Medicare and Medicaid continue and all other legal U.S. residents have income-dependent coverage. Individuals also have the option to purchase supplemental private coverage.

By 2019, 35 states and the District of Columbia had either expanded coverage via traditional Medicare or via an alternative program.

Here are a few ways how technology is improving the healthcare industry and effectively our lives!

1. Monitoring: Technology helps in remote monitoring of patient health. Using technology patients can reduce the visits to a clinic or a doctor, and save money. A report by Becker’s confirms that at the end of 2012, almost 2.9 million patients from across the world were using some sort of home monitoring system.

Pacemakers are effectively remote monitoring systems, also referred to as the first wearable technology in healthcare, that can send data to doctors and clinicians. Other such applications help in sending vital information much before first responders get to a person in critical condition, saving time and resource.

Wearable health monitoring devices add a different flavor to the monitoring technology. What these devices do is collect data, and display it to users so that they can assess their health at any given point of time. These devices can be programmed to send the information to doctors as well, to help monitor user activity. This is especially useful for individuals recovering from surgery. The total number of wearable device users is expected to cross 100 million in 2018.

What does this technology do to users?

-Track daily activity

-Monitor sleep

-Help better manage user health

-Share workout or sleep information

-Support the managing of multiple devices

2. Apps: We as humans in the 21^st century just cannot keep away from our smartphones and our beloved apps. Many leading healthcare organizations have their custom-made apps and websites that deal in communicating with their patients. Doctors and nurses are being trained to use technology to help patients understand their problems.

The ability to better communicate with doctors and nurses creates a sense of confidence to patients as well. It helps patients reach out to their doctors on time every time. Apps are a fantastic way to provide accurate information, reduce the number of worried individuals in queues waiting to seek an appointment, and helps patients share their symptoms with doctors and get an accurate diagnosis for minor ailments.

Doctors also find technology helpful. It has given them tools to decide treatments, diagnose symptoms, and share information. Doctors are also using VR technology to learn new procedures and brush up on old ones.

Apps also help patients track their medication. With the trusty smartphone by the side, users are constantly reminded of their medication, dosage, etc. Apps are known to improve medication adherence in patients. They help in educating patients on the medicines they take as well. mHealth apps are great at involving other individuals as well, it could be a patient’s doctor, nurses, and family members. These apps help in perennially checking medication adherence levels, this is an added advantage for individuals affected with asthma.

Additionally, mHealth apps help in locating the nearest pharmacy, hospital, and/or clinic. They can find hospitals based on a wide array of filters such as medical services provided, doctors available, close to a pharmacy, etc. Users can, through the app, know the working hours of a clinic, and details of their staff.

3. Maintaining Records: Technology has radically transformed our lives. The same technology is helped transform the healthcare industry as well. With medicine being an information-rich enterprise, the need for a seamless flow of information is high! Hence Electronic Health Records were created. EHRs are the digital version of a patient’s chart. They are accessible in real time and provide information about a patient’s first appointment, latest ailment, number of visits, etc. the list can is as complex as hospitals or clinics want.

The idea behind an EHR is to provide a patient’s

-Medical history

-Medications

-Diagnoses

-Treatment plans

-Allergies

-Laboratory and test results

Earlier, hospitals had to depend on disparate information systems. These systems were often clumsy and were not efficient in sharing or transferring patient records. However, EHRs connect various information systems and help healthcare professionals to share & transfer information efficiently.

Technology has helped the healthcare industry in many ways to mention. And we believe that it will continue to do so. Advancements in it have eased the role doctors played with their patients. It makes it more easier to find the more accurate diagnosis for symptoms, and also the treatments that are more likely to work.

Technology gives individuals warning signs that they are likely to suffer from something serious if they continue on their current path. It helps in tracking our lifestyle. It simplifies the way we reach our doctors and the way we take our medication. Not just physical health, Health apps provide us with information regarding our mental health as well.