Genes 2 Brains 2 Mind 2 Me

There is no doubt that -omics and digital-bio is improving healthcare, IF, you’re NOT one of the 50 million uninsured human beings in America who lack health insurance. As a fan of all things free-and-open, bioinformatic and health2.0, I was glad to read Timothy Stoltzfus Jost ‘s new book, Health Care at Risk: A Critique of the Consumer-Driven Movement. A review of the historical and economic foundations of the so-called ‘consumer-driven healthcare’ movement which is well underway (supported by leading candidates from both parties), Jost unpacks inefficiencies inherent to both private insurance systems (adverse selection – ‘sick people need NOT apply’) and to public systems (moral hazard and demand inducement – ‘hey dude, pass the twinkies and cigarettes, – no worries, I’ll just rely on my free healthcare’). The main arguments, from Jost, that stuck with me, are that the consumer-directed system, as it stands today, is one that is skewed to address the moral hazard conundrum, and this is not likely to resolve much of the current economic crisis since healthcare spending is distributed very asymmetrically (a tiny fraction of very sick people account for most of spending). Indeed, Jost suggests the current consumer-directed healthcare movement (pass off the first $5,000 spending to the consumer) is likely to make matters worse before they get better. While sobering, the book may prompt a redoubling of the focus of the many free-and-open bioinformatic and health2.0 efforts working to enhance care and access for all.