What are the determinants of the demand for healthcare?
99866
Healthcare IT Demand in Germany Poised for Growth, Says Frost \n \n \nFrost & Sullivan - February 3, 2006\n \nExpenditure on healthcare IT in Germany represents a paltry 0.5 per cent of total healthcare outlays -- an extremely low proportion when compared to other developed countries, says Frost. The ICT industry analysts predict a boost in demand for healthcare IT due to several factors, including the pursuit of a more integrated healthcare IT policy, government initiatives, and new reimbursement structures.\n   \n \n \nOnly 15-20 per cent of German hospitals currently follow an integrated healthcare IT strategy that embraces the hospital-based, in-patient sector and the ambulatory, out-patient sector. This low penetration rate has been attributed to a variety of reasons - the absence of coherent federal initiatives towards eHealth, the decentralised healthcare administration which has resulted in varying levels of IT development in the different Länder , restricted hospital IT budgets and the lack of an articulated enterprise-wide IT strategy. \n\nHowever, new integrated care approaches and disease management programmes are now aiming to integrate and co-ordinate ambulatory and hospital care. This is set to trigger increased demand for healthcare IT solutions, creating, in particular, strong growth potential for clinical systems in the outpatient arena. As a result, exciting investment opportunities are emerging in Germany’s healthcare IT sector.\n\nAfter 2005-2006, government initiatives and the launch of a new hospital billing system under the diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) is poised to accelerate market growth. Recent healthcare reform acts have prioritised healthcare IT with Federal initiatives encompassing electronic patient cards, healthcare professional cards, e-prescription and electronic patient records.\n\n"Whereas previously healthcare IT was initiated at Länder level, and often implemented in the form of pilot projects, a nation-wide approach is planned as stated in the Health Ministry’s master plan ’Information Technology Society Germany 2006," notes Siddharth Saha, Programme Manager of Healthcare IT at Frost & Sullivan.\n\nLegislation requiring the transmission of all patient and procedure data to the sickness funds for reimbursement purposes in electronic form and new reimbursement regulations introduced for in-patient treatment following the establishment of DRGs, has compelled hospitals to invest in the necessary IT systems to achieve regulatory conformity. \n\nIn addition to hospitals having to comply with regulatory requirements (DRGs, procedural coding etc), greater awareness of the role IT systems play in improving work-flows, controlling costs and increasing cost-efficiency are also set to expand the German healthcare IT market. \n\nThe total German healthcare IT market including clinical and administrative systems (hardware, software, services and maintenance contracts) targeting both hospital and ambulatory sectors has been estimated at Euro 1.2 billion in 2003. Segments with the highest potential include picture archiving and communications systems/radiology information systems (PACS/RIS), electronic medical records (EMR), decision support tools and data management systems. \n\nInitially, healthcare IT was dominated mainly by administrative systems that facilitated patient data administration and financial reporting/purchasing. However, even as the market for administrative systems has become increasingly saturated, the demand for clinical systems has been rising. In keeping with these trends, a steady annual growth rate of 5.7 per cent is estimated for administrative systems and 15-20 per cent for clinical systems up to 2006. This indicates expanding market opportunities for suppliers of clinical systems.\n\nFormidable barriers await competitors wishing to enter the increasingly attractive German healthcare IT market. Existing barriers include an already high level of competition,
242715
Impact of immigration on job growth, economic development\nHealth economics - medicare spending and impact on budget
473722
Marketplace desirability = DEMAND.\n\nthe rise in demand means more people want that service or product.
1067151
Medical insurance costs a lot because of multiple factors.  Medical costs are steadily rising because our population is aging, our population is getting increasingly unhealthy (obesity crisis).  This results in increasing usage of medical services.\nThe medical infrastructure costs a staggering and increasing amount of money to run.  Hospital costs are going up.  Doctors salaries are increasing. \nMedical malpractice lawsuits and related insurance costs are going up.  So, doctors and hospitals demand more for their services to cover these additional costs. \nFinally, through it all the ultimate customer (the patient) never really sees a bill or the direct costs of the medical services he incurs.  So, the health care industry has virtually no pricing mechanism that would find an equilibrium between supply and demand as in all other industries. \n\nAlso, as you mentioned there is a lot of scamming going on.  Additionally, Medicare and Medicaid government programs don't pay the private sector for the full costs of the medical services it purchases or reimburses.  So, there is a lot of cost shifting by hospitals and doctors from Medicare and Medicaid to the private sector. \n\nSo, there are a lot of interesting underlying complex issues involved here.  \n\nIf you want me to clarify any of the above send me an email through "Answer" and I will edit my response accordingly.
446335
Major Factors affecting price:\n\n1. OPEC's supply (inverse relationship... lower=higher)\n\n2. cost and ability to refine \n\n3. taxes imposed by local, state and federal government\n\n4. consumption (demand)
362003
This is good for so many reasons.First, big companies should be happy they now play a more important role in the well being of the their consumers. Second, when you have universal health care, more people visit the doctors; 1- at the onset of a problem instead of waiting until it becomes worse, 2- visit the doctor for regular check ups, and 3- visit for preventative care. These reasons make for a healthier population in general thus often negating the need for more costly an evasive procedures down the road.  When a poor person goes to the hospital now a days, its usually because they have put it off for so long because of no insurance, that they are in worse shape than they would have been in if they had gone at the first sign of trouble. Their care now costs the state and the taxpayers more, or puts that poor person in DEEP DEBT for the rest of their life.\nWe are the only modern industrialized country in the world without Universal Health care for ALL its citizens.\nA good way to measure a nations moxie is to look at the way it cares for its population. All Americans should ask themselves this:\nDo you care more for the profits of big corporations, than you do for our poor, our children or our elderly?\nHealth care should be our # 1 priority. Good for you MASS!!
392189
The price depends on supply and demand.\nCurrently demand is high as the world economy is expanding.
48167
The rise in costs of health insurance is related to the rise in usage as individuals got used to having "someone else" (the insurance companies) pay the majority of the bills. Also, as physicians profit margins are squeezed by managed health care contracts discounting, they may try to boost revenue by increasing the treatments and tests they call for compared to what they did prior to the profit squeeze.
692140
1. It will lower the cost of health care for people as a large portion of our health care that we pay goes to covering the cost for those that do not pay, such as illegals using emergency rooms.\n2. It will allow us better control of who is going in and out of this country, and any possible threat they may be to our security\n3. It will allow a correction in the prices of products. Currently some products are priced very low due to illegals working for pennies on the dollar, and we will be adjusted to the more accurate price on all items as it will ripple through the economy.
30796
Off the top of my head, try housing costs, or the amount of income that goes toward health insurance.  For more ideas, listen to Bush's State of the Union Address in 30 minutes.  For articles, try Googling - better yet, if you have online access to The New York Times (you can get access through your local library), try searching their database for the last 6 months.
994953
The factors that determine the value of a country's currency are\n(1) supply and\n(2) demand
485345
markets do mainly though some foreign countries/cartels such as Venezuela/OPEC have a lot of say. Economics still out as if price too high people use less. Supply & demand
1100060
Because demand is high and supply is low?
101312
33 yo female student RN.\nHuge...advertising, and of course, the reps in the healthcare setting that push their drugs for increased sale purposes. It is the doctors that ultimately decide what to give patients, and the patients who ultimately decide to take the drug. When you say health? Are you speaking of wellness or illness?
61807
In the US you can get superior medical treatment by paying more, and you don't have to wait for it.\n\nCanada's healthcare system is overall better because it covers everyone at acceptable levels.
225671
Because the baby boomers are getting older and needing more healthcare.  Plus, nursing has a high turnover rate due to all that is required.  Many people don't want to spend years and years taking care of sick people and their problems.
416962
In 2003, health care spending in the United States reached $1.7 trillion, and was projected to reach $1.8 trillion in 2004. \n\nHealth care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. \n\nIn 2003, the United States spent 15.3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care. It is projected that the percentage will reach 18.7 percent in 10 years. \n\nAlthough nearly 45 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens. \n\nHealth care spending accounted for 10.9 percent of the GDP in Switzerland, 10.7 percent in Germany, 9.7 percent in Canada and 9.5 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. \n\nTotal out-of-pocket spending on health care rose $13.7 billion, to $230 billion in 2003.