In the previous post, I talked about the demand for developing new payment plans especially for gene therapies. Then, I came across a Fierce Biotech article about Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet focusing on life science. The article itself was about the investment the company recently received, but what drew my interest was its new venture into the health insurance market. "Dubbed Coefficient, it aims to provide novel insurance and payment models and, in the future, integrate with Verily’s care management programs such as Onduo, toward the ultimate goal of providing better health outcomes while lowering costs," the article added.
Instead of working with current insurance companies, Verily is aiming to create new insurance models that could better support their health care products. In other words, the payment system is not an add-on, but an integral part of their care service development. I should keep my eye on Verily and how it changes the way we experience the health care system.
I also wonder how countries with the national health insurance system will respond to non-traditional treatments and health care programs. Would they ask their people to rely on private insurances or modify the national healthcare coverage?