Amazon's Soaring Healthcare Ambition: The Promise and the Problem
Healthcare is a mess in the United States. Consumers pay more and get less than in most other developed countries. Strong comprehensive healthcare is unaffordable for most without substantial help, which is why putting the burden on the government really does not work.
If people cannot afford something, individually aggregating it under what amounts to a tax is not really any better -- and given the extra overhead, arguably is worse.
What's needed is a way to bring costs down sharply so that whether it's funded by the state or paid for by individuals, healthcare becomes affordable.
One way to do that is to have a new player enter the market at massive scale and use its buying and political power to force the industry to reduce excessive pharmaceutical gouging, waste and excessive testing, and erect a stronger barrier to excessive litigation.
Amazon, which last week announced its entry into the healthcare market with JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway, could be that company. However, as I recently discovered, Amazon already has abused its power. What will happen if it gets massively more powerful?
I'll share my thoughts on that this week and close with my product of the week, one of the most innovative smartphones in the market.
The Real Healthcare Problem
Both political parties in the U.S. are so focused on the issue of control that neither seems focused at all on the real healthcare problem, which is that the cost/benefit analysis suggests the country is in horrid shape.
If you look at the World Health Organization rankings, the U.S. is No. 1 with a bullet on cost (the most expensive of any country in the survey) but ranks a lousy No. 72 on performance.
You know which country ranks first on performance on level of health? Oman, which is No. 62 on cost. France, a country often ridiculed, ranks No. 4 on performance and No. 4 on cost. Its state-sponsored system is aligned at least. However, Italy outperforms France, ranking No. 3 on performance but No. 11 on cost. Saudi Arabia is No. 10 on performance and No. 63 on cost.
HighGround CEO Andee Harris: Find Your People
Andee Harris is the CEO of HighGround.
In this exclusive interview, Harris discusses the ins and outs of human capital management, including its role in cultivating strong leadership skills.
HighGround CEO Andee Harris
TechNewsWorld: What is HighGround's mission?
Andee Harris: Our mission is to help employees feel more connected to work, and to bring their best selves to work. We can help companies engage with their employees and make sure that their employees are happy and more productive.
TNW: What is human capital management, and why is it important?
Harris: Human capital management is the idea that your humans are your capital, and so you should be investing in them and managing them, making sure that you're giving your talent opportunities to grow, and that they have purpose in their work. Human resources is more about HR benefits and core HR systems. Ours is more about people systems.
Skype Comes to Linux in a Snap
If people cannot afford something, individually aggregating it under what amounts to a tax is not really any better -- and given the extra overhead, arguably is worse.
What's needed is a way to bring costs down sharply so that whether it's funded by the state or paid for by individuals, healthcare becomes affordable.
One way to do that is to have a new player enter the market at massive scale and use its buying and political power to force the industry to reduce excessive pharmaceutical gouging, waste and excessive testing, and erect a stronger barrier to excessive litigation.
Amazon, which last week announced its entry into the healthcare market with JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway, could be that company. However, as I recently discovered, Amazon already has abused its power. What will happen if it gets massively more powerful?
I'll share my thoughts on that this week and close with my product of the week, one of the most innovative smartphones in the market.
The Real Healthcare Problem
Both political parties in the U.S. are so focused on the issue of control that neither seems focused at all on the real healthcare problem, which is that the cost/benefit analysis suggests the country is in horrid shape.
If you look at the World Health Organization rankings, the U.S. is No. 1 with a bullet on cost (the most expensive of any country in the survey) but ranks a lousy No. 72 on performance.
You know which country ranks first on performance on level of health? Oman, which is No. 62 on cost. France, a country often ridiculed, ranks No. 4 on performance and No. 4 on cost. Its state-sponsored system is aligned at least. However, Italy outperforms France, ranking No. 3 on performance but No. 11 on cost. Saudi Arabia is No. 10 on performance and No. 63 on cost.
HighGround CEO Andee Harris: Find Your People
In this exclusive interview, Harris discusses the ins and outs of human capital management, including its role in cultivating strong leadership skills.
HighGround CEO Andee Harris
TechNewsWorld: What is HighGround's mission?
Andee Harris: Our mission is to help employees feel more connected to work, and to bring their best selves to work. We can help companies engage with their employees and make sure that their employees are happy and more productive.
TNW: What is human capital management, and why is it important?
Harris: Human capital management is the idea that your humans are your capital, and so you should be investing in them and managing them, making sure that you're giving your talent opportunities to grow, and that they have purpose in their work. Human resources is more about HR benefits and core HR systems. Ours is more about people systems.
Skype Comes to Linux in a Snap
Canonical on Thursday announced the availability of Skype as a Snap file, the universal Linux app packaging format. The release means that Skype can deliver its communication service to a wider range of Linux users, not just those who run Canonical's Ubuntu Linux distribution.
Skype, a Microsoft product, is an application that lets users make video and voice calls, and send files, video and instant messages.
Skype-to-Skype calls are free anywhere in the world. Premium features like voicemail, SMS texts, or calls to landlines and cellphones carry a cost.
Releasing Skype as a Snap file ensures Linux users automatically will receive the latest versions upon release, said Evan Dandrea, engineering manager for Snapcraft at Canonical.
In addition, the Snap rollback feature will let users revert to the previous working version in the event of a bug, he told LinuxInsider.
"There is the added benefit of security. The installations are more secure. They are sandboxed using container protocols," Dandrea said.
Alexa Now Can Dash Off Text Messages to Android Phones
Amazon on Tuesday introduced new functionality that enables its Alexa virtual assistant to send and receive SMS messages on devices running Android 5.0 or higher. Carrier charges may apply.
Alexa, the software that powers the Echo line of smart speakers, can play and send personalized messages from contacts for users who have set up voice profiles.
Users will hear a chime when they have a new SMS message, and see a yellow light ring on their Echo device. They'll also be notified in the Alexa App.
The SMS feature isn't available for iOS because Apple doesn't share its messaging API with third parties, Amazon said.
The feature currently is available only in the United States.
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