THE EFFECTS OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY ON THE U.S. ECONOMY
Posted on May 25, 2016 Author Charlie Rosenblum
1. On March 23rd, 2010, President Barack Obama<u>signed</u> the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (or ACA for short) into law.
2. Like many actions that <u>come</u> with the presidency, this<u>was followed</u> by much controversy as critics noted that this plan<u>would increase</u> taxes and overall healthcare costs, something the government<u>did not and does not need</u> with an extremely large and growing debt.
3. While healthcare costs<u>have increased</u> significantly since the mid-20th century, social reforms<u>are not to be blamed</u> for all costs and s<u>hould not be </u>solely<u> blamed</u> for future costs.
4. In fact, medical technology<u>is</u> the most substantial reason why healthcare costs<u>have increased</u>.
5. Medical technology<u>has</u> always <u>been</u> a significant area of medicine and <u>has</u> a long, rich history.
6. Examples of technological advancements in medicine throughout history <u>include</u> the magnifying glass in 1250, the flexible catheter in 1752, and DNA sequencing in 1992.
7. These inventions among many others <u>have contributed</u> to people’s health, wellness, and lives and <u>have created</u> significant economic effects.
8. But in the past half century or so, the steady trend of technological advancement <u>has increased</u> more than average, especially in the medical field.
9. As a result of this growth, healthcare costs<u>have</u> also <u>risen</u>.
10. With the increased advancement in medical technology, there<u> has been</u>an increase in economic activity and human development but, as a result, healthcare costs have also <u>risen</u>.
11. Because medical technology<u>is</u> a relatively new concept to be thrust in the media spotlight and is a growing and profitable area of business and innovation, there <u>has been</u> some argument about what it<u>is</u> and what it<u>encompasses</u>.
12. The World Health Organization<u>defines</u> medical technology (or health technology) as the “application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives”.
13. <u>Note</u> that this definition<u>does not limit</u> medical technology to only devices but also <u>includes</u> medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems.
14. This<u>gives</u> breadth to even more medical advancement including but not limited to pharmaceutical drugs, cancer treatments, and noninvasive surgeries.
15. It<u>is</u> also <u>important to recognize</u> that there<u> is</u> no “correct” way <u>to measure</u> the economic impact of medical technology.
16. Due to the size of the medical industry and the continuous advancement of medicine and medical technology, any direct ways of measuring medical technology’s economic effects <u>are unfeasible</u>.
17. Because of this, the economic effects of technology <u>are measured</u> indirectly and thus the methods of researching and results of medical technology’s economic impacts <u>will differ </u>between papers and articles differ.
18. Therefore, while this article<u>may write</u> about how one aspect of medical technology <u>is</u> a detrimental cost to the economy, another article<u>may have used</u> different calculations to receive a different conclusion.