As science and prosthesis innovation get better and more adapted for human use, we will see more and more folks having them. Unfortunately, as we know anything this technologically advanced will cost a ton of money. This is why some medical Think Tanks and prosthesis researchers have been trying to consider if perhaps there is a business model to overcome the high price point. This way average people can afford them, thus, we have come up with a few suggestions.
First, we had considered the concept of rent-to-own, but then realized that repossession doesn’t make a lot of sense as there would be brain implants to move the prosthesis, and it would be attached. Repo’ing someone’s arm, leg, or whatever wouldn’t be such a good idea. However, if it were set up so that upon death the unit could be retrieved and any outstanding balances could be paid for by the “organ donation” program, which the individual agreed to prior to its installation, then a corporation could use this as a business model.
The corporation could pay for the prosthesis – installation – patient training and rehabilitation, and self-insure the prosthesis against major damage. When the individual died, “if they had body parts which were in good shape to donate, that would be ‘used and paid’ against the outstanding bill,” and if not the company would eat that risk, or loss. There would be no reason to cremate or bury a dead person with a fake body part, so that body part could cleaned, reconditioned, and re-used again – recycled if you will, because recycling is the right thing to do.
There is really no reason to make such devices unaffordable to the masses, or to charge Medicare for them if the free-market can solve this cost problem using a solid business strategy. Please consider all this.
Reference:
1.) Wall Street Journal Articles; “Wiring the Brain to Aid People With Paralysis” by Shirley S. Wang – October 26, 2010.