The Market for Chronic Care

The Market for Chronic Care

I have argued before that, but for third-party payers, a market for chronic care would have developed long ago. What do entrepreneurs do in every other market? They find people with unmet needs and figure out low-cost ways of solving their problems. Yet with a large and growing number of uninsured and a growing number of people with high-deductible insurance, markets for chronic care may develop anyway.

In several cities, Walgreens is offering pharmacist consultation to diabetics. (The service is free now, but there may be charges later; and, in any event, Walgreens is selling them drugs.) If it works, the program may expand to asthma, high cholesterol and obesity.