Inc. has an interesting article covering 10 medical technologies that promise to improve the quality of life and potentially reduce the costs of health care.
As the article is kind enough to point out, there are 78 million baby boomers and the oldest of this cohort are about to turn 65. According to the article:
"Keeping all those bodies in good working order represents not just a challenge but an unparalleled business opportunity."
It is interesting to note that many of the technologies listed fall into a category called "human augmentation" by futurists. These are technologies or drugs that improve or enhance humans. This category includes everything from memory enhancing drugs to artificial limbs to genetic engineering.
Not too long ago human augmentation was something that only happened in science fiction. It is quickly becoming a reality.
With health care spending close to 20% of U.S. GDP and growing, the opportunities in health care are enormous. Longer life spans and the large cohort of aging boomers means even if we somehow get control of health care costs, demand for health care will continue to increase for at least several decades.
Demand for human augmentation will also grow to substantial levels and add to the size of the health care industry.
Flashy new medical technology is often cited as a key cause of rapidly rising health care costs. Of course, that hasn't stopped biotech entrepreneurs or the investors who finance their ventures from pulling on their lab coats and inventing technological fixes for blurry eyes, brittle bones, creaky knees, and nearly everything in between. After all, the 78 million baby boomers are starting to hit the magic age of 65. Keeping all those bodies in good working order represents not just a challenge but an unparalleled business opportunity.
Posted by: 8gb usb drive | December 16, 2009 at 04:40 AM