While a healthcare reform bill will impact many healthcare trends, Harvard Business Review said an ACA repeal will not impact the following three entities.
1. Technology. Healthcare will continue to go digital with 90 percent of physicians regularly using EHRs. More wearables are hitting the market and the government is paying providers for outcomes assessed through technological tools. HBR states, "Technology has become rooted firmly in U.S. healthcare and, as elsewhere, consumers will choose many of the winners."
2. U.S. demographics. A law cannot change the fact the nation is facing an aging population. The median age for U.S. men and women is currently 37.9 years old and per capita healthcare costs are rising. For people between 19 and 44, these costs are nearly $4,500 and double for Americans aged 45 to 64. The industry must address this population's needs moving forward.
3. Personalized medicine. Working alongside technology, providers can make individualized treatment plans. American can share more personalized health data through the cloud.
HBR concludes, "Taken together, these three trends will drive dramatic changes in healthcare, regardless of government policies. We see several areas where patients and care providers, as well as entrepreneurs and investors, will likely benefit."