Reforming healthcare: what do the people want?

摘要

Healthcare systems are complex, enormous and unwieldy. They are traditionally slow to change, but now these immovable objects are being forced to confront not just one but several irresistible forces, including ageing populations, increased rates of chronic disease and high levels of public debt. The price of ignoring these forces and delaying reform could be steep-US president Barack Obama has warned that if his country's healthcare system continues down its present path, it will bankrupt the nation. But try telling that to the end-users of healthcare, and they will be nonplussed.