Breaking Gridlock in Health Policy?; Comment on “A New Synthesis”

Pierre-Gerlier Forest has put forward the case that we are on the brink of a revolution in health policy that will be the result of the interplay of five factors. I would not challenge any of them but would emphasize the need to address socio-economic health inequalities, which have the potential to become a major cost driver in a time of growing economic inequality. To Dr. Forest’s list, I would add two important shifts that are taking shape. The first is the development of an outcome focus in healthcare that seeks to measure improvements in individual and population health status. The second is a Copernican revolution in which healthcare providers revolve around the patient. These developments will enable us to answer many questions about resource allocation and return on investment in healthcare, although I still think there will be an outstanding question of how many resources society is willing and able to allocate to healthcare.