To encode health into a market utility function, first we create financial contracts with an expected value which captures long-term health. We can accomplish this with a long-term contract that generates positive cash flow when a human is healthy, and negative when unhealthy—basically an insurance contract.
Possible job title in a saner version of the future: Lifestyle Advisor.
“Paenacea Health, America’s leading Life Maintenance Organization seeks Lifestyle Advisors to work in our New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin field offices. Lifestyle Advisors grow to develop relationships with 40-80 members, and will be responsible for contacting members on a weekly basis to encourage them to adopt better health practices. Upon joining our team, Lifestyle Advisors will undergo a three week training program, in which candidates will be familiarized with our approach to assessing the weighted importance of different behavioral changes to the life expectancy extension of our members.
All Paenacea Health, we truly value our members’ health—which means that all members are assigned a Lifestyle Advisor. Ideal candidates for this position will have excellent interpersonal skills, and will be able to successfully coach Paenacea members through each step of processes like quitting smoking or establishing an exercise routine. Candidates are expected to have the persistence and vision necessary to proactively and insistently initiate contact with members who have not adopted adequate health practices within a short period of joining Paenacea Health...”
This comment is a follow-up to both this post, and Buy Health, Not Health Care.
Possible job title in a saner version of the future: Lifestyle Advisor.
“Paenacea Health, America’s leading Life Maintenance Organization seeks Lifestyle Advisors to work in our New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin field offices. Lifestyle Advisors grow to develop relationships with 40-80 members, and will be responsible for contacting members on a weekly basis to encourage them to adopt better health practices. Upon joining our team, Lifestyle Advisors will undergo a three week training program, in which candidates will be familiarized with our approach to assessing the weighted importance of different behavioral changes to the life expectancy extension of our members.
All Paenacea Health, we truly value our members’ health—which means that all members are assigned a Lifestyle Advisor. Ideal candidates for this position will have excellent interpersonal skills, and will be able to successfully coach Paenacea members through each step of processes like quitting smoking or establishing an exercise routine. Candidates are expected to have the persistence and vision necessary to proactively and insistently initiate contact with members who have not adopted adequate health practices within a short period of joining Paenacea Health...”