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Comment by nbashaw | Hacker News Reader

I think you're right about all of this! And to add another point, I worry the only people who will have access to this are those who can afford a bunch of health gadgets and a premium primary care provider.

But, at the same time, it's impossible to imagine our government creating such a thing :(

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> I worry the only people who will have access to this are those who can afford a bunch of health gadgets and a premium primary care provider.

A new iPhone SE costs $399 unlocked.

Totally, but in order to benefit from this system you'd probably also need a connected mattress, watch, maybe a continuous glucose monitor, some sort of workout device, etc.

It adds up. This is a country where half the population earns $40k or less a year.

And it's already a lot compared to most other countries.

That's a lot of money to most people in the world. To my mother it would be 2 months of food.

Even more if taking in consideration planned obsolescence.

Tons $100+ iphones on ebay. Apple devices are everywhere now, obviously it's not luxury class.

To me with my $1700/month health "care" plan its a drop in the bucket.

You have to compare apples to apples. This is the kind of industry where a visit to the ER for a broken arm can and should cost $50K, supposedly.

Which is peanuts in the overall costs of healthcare. At what point are you given one as part of your welcome kit? There are already health plans in the US that offer fitbits or will subsidize their cost. The game becomes encouraging a healthier lifestyle to help people avoid getting sick or hurt which costs alot less than treating someone once they have developed a full blown disease. It's one place where both the patients' and the insurer's and hospitals' interests are all in line with each other.

> But, at the same time, it's impossible to imagine our government creating such a thing :(

Government institutions created the internet ...

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