Can a Netflix-style pricing model make medical treatments affordable for all?

According to a 2019 Gallup poll, 48% of Americans have a negative view of the American healthcare system compared to just 38% of Americans who have a positive view. These views have been rather steady since 2012. There’s little disagreement that the system is ill and something should be done to heal it; however, there are plenty of disagreements about the diagnosis of the illness and what kind of prescription is necessary. Jean-Manuel Izaret believes the needed prescription is to change the pricing model that’s used for pharmaceutical drugs. In his fifteen-minute Ted Talk presentation, he explains how he believes that a new Netflix-style pricing model could make treatments affordable for all over time.

Today, the American healthcare system uses a price per patient pricing model. That is, the system looks at how many patients are ‘ill enough’ today and need a pharmaceutical drug for treatment now. Jean makes the argument that this type of model not only fails to treat a large percentage of patients, but it’s also more expensive. Alternatively, he recommends the Netflix Pricing Model. In this model, healthcare providers will purchase pharmaceutical drugs through a subscription like Netflix. Doing so will not only treat more patients before their illness becomes more severe, but it will also save more money down the road.

Throughout his presentation, Jean uses many graphs that help show the current pricing model as well as the new model he’s proposing. Though I think the overall presentation was a little rushed given the nitty gritty details that are involved with economic models such as these, I still think Jean’s presentation was focused and engaging. Given the seriousness of the subject matter his tone was mainly serious, but there was some comic relief when he used the film industry as a comparison with how the current healthcare system operates. Personally, I look forward to the possibility of Jean-Manuel Izaret’s pricing model idea gathering some interest and being investigated further.

Children and Social Media

Like most things, there are both positive and negative effects of social media; and it's up to each individual to decide whether or not they are going to participate. That being said, what about kids? I think few people would argue that adults shouldn't be able to use social media, but should kids use social media? Unfortunately, I don't think there's an easy answer. Social media provides the opportunity for both good and bad.While it can be used as a creative outlet and platform to socialize with one's friends and peers, it can also be used as a bullhorn to tease and corrupt. No parent should sleep on social media and underestimate its power over younger children. It's important for a mom or dad to understand the temptations and troubles of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It offers physical danger in the form of malicious users who may seek to trick and hurt you kids as well as emotional trauma in the form bullying and trolling. Despite these concerns and possible negative effects, there are still plenty of positive effects of social media, too. Kids can socialize and communicate with their friends and families anywhere; and they can also use it as a creative outlet for their projects and works. Ultimately, it's up to each parent to decide what's appropriate for their kid. Do the pros outweigh the cons? Are the cons to much of a risk? There are no easy answers.

Content Creators and Social Media

It's hard to deny the impact social media has on today's world. Everyone has a smartphone; and on those smartphones are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. The internet and all of its resources are at the fingertips of billions of people around the world. This means that if you have a social media account, you have a microphone and a chance to build your own audience. It's no surprise that companies and businesses around the globe have wasted little time plugging that microphone in and turning on their speakers. One area of business that has especially taken advantage of social media is content creation. Through the use of social media, content creators like Barstool Sports and The Onion have reached millions of people and have expanded their audience.

If you release a random poll asking people which sports brand they recognize more---ESPN or Barstool Sports---there's little doubt that most would say ESPN. However, while the former is struggling, the latter is growing. Barstool Sports has taken full advantage of social media and all of its tools and opportunities. By understanding their audience and speaking directly to them, they've chiseled off a large chunk of the sports media market. By channeling the memes, humor, and frankness of social media, they've embraced the freedom and political incorrectness of the internet as a means to contrast themselves with traditional sports media. Their unapologetic immaturity is a strength in a time when people yearn for authenticity. Overall, they have much in common with another content-creating company---The Onion.

Like Barstool Sports, The Onion also uses social media to publish and spread its humorous satire and comedic content. While Barstool Sports mostly publishes sports satire, The Onion published a variety of satire ranging from politics to pop culture. While traditional paper media falls at the waste side, online publishers exploit social media and its ever-growing audience. Content can be shared directly with readers and clicks generate business-sustaining ad revenue. Gone are the days where writers and journalists (if you can call The Onion writers journalists) where articles must be approved by ivy-league editors and publication donors. Don't get me wrong, The Onion has editors too, but the standards have been eased. Similar to Barstool Sports, a publication like The Onion that's honest about its intentions is refreshing to its readers.

Non-traditional content creators like Barstool Sports and The Onion have found their home on the internet and social media. They can take their articles and publications directly to readers, while not having to sacrifice their originality. Not only can they speak to their readers, but their readers can speak to them via online communicative tools such as comment boxes and sharing features that're available on social media platforms. Social media is a microcosm of the internet which, at its best, is an open playground for creative content creators to create and share without fear.

Why I am at MATC

Hello! My name is Samuel Gillingham, and this is my first blog post. You may be asking, "Why, Sam, you're 26 years old---why are you writing your first blog post now?" That's a great question, reader. The answer is simple: compulsion. In the spirit of full transparency, I'd like you to know I'm being forced to write this blog post against my will for school. So, if you get a "HELP ME" vibe from this post, then don't just stand there---HELP ME. But before you call the authorities, take a few minutes and read a few lines of text that explain why I'm currently enrolled at MATC.

Last Spring, I graduated from UWM with a B.S. degree and majored in Information Science and Technology. I learned about various areas of IT, ranging from databases and MySQL to Web Design and HTML. I sent pings in the command line interface of Cisco routers and learned about SSL Certificates (maybe my blog could use one). I was essentially Bill Gates. However, there was one drawback, in my opinion, of spending my time covering all of those various area of IT during my time at UWM. The drawback was that I felt like I was only dipping my toe in the pool. I had transferred to UWM from MATC with all of my GEDs taken care of, which meant I only needed two years of courses specific to my B.S. degree program. I learned a lot in those two years (I was Bill Gates, remember?); but I knew I needed to learn more, and I knew I needed more hands-on training. In the big field of IT, there are many different areas of specialization so I needed to pick a focus and attack it. Ultimately, for me, it came down to two different areas of study: programming and networking. After some soul-searching, I decided on networking since I've always enjoyed hardware and toying around with gadgets. Having already gone to MATC, I was aware of the awesome IT programs the school offered. So, I applied for the Accelerated Online Networking Program---and here we are! I continue to take courses, like the one that's forcing me to write this post, while I work full-time at Northwestern Mutual (NM). I started with NM early last Summer as a contractor on the Integrated Website Services team. It was a call-center job for a web support team that was tasked with offering live assistance to both internal and external users of various company applications. After six months or so, NM offered me a Full-Time Employee (FTE) position, making me an NM employee. And a few months after that, I was promoted to Associate Engineer on an application support team. I work closely with numerous developers and product managers to make sure the application trains run on time. Overall, I really love the company and can see myself having a long career there.

Considering this is my first and only blog post (and that it was compelled by threat of academic injury), I think I did an alright job---and I hope you think so, too! Stay tuned for any additional posts I may be forced to write. Or, who knows, maybe I'll willingly write a post one of these days. :)