American Healthcare is Sick

Americans spend 1.1 billion hours seeking medical care annually. 

That’s roughly 8 hours per month spent in waiting rooms, completing paperwork, calling insurance providers, filing claims, and advocating for or coordinating care. 

Ironically, the one thing we’re not spending time on is seeing actual providers. Of the average 121-minute doctor visit, 37 minutes go to travel, 84 minutes are spent in the clinic — but only 20 minutes are face-to-face with a physician^¹.

And this time doesn’t come cheap. The US spends $4.9 trillion on healthcare each year: that’s around $14,570 per person².

With all the time and money America invests in health, we must be receiving exceptional care…right? 

Wrong. 

Despite spending more on healthcare than any other developed nation, the average American is worse off than their peers. Life expectancy is lower; our rates of chronic disease and disability are higher. Our child and maternal mortality rates are far worse than similar countries, and an estimated 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy³. 

In other words? American medicine is making us sick. 

A flawed system 

Let’s be clear: the challenge of the American healthcare system is not the quality of care available, or the dedicated professionals providing that care — it’s the medical industrial complex as a whole. 

The American medical industrial complex is: ‍

Fragmented

In other developed nations, a strong public healthcare system centralizes and standardizes records, ensuring accuracy and availability.

In the US, however, patchwork care and privatized coverage leaves patients scrambling. Despite advances in electronic record keeping, 34% of primary care physicians in the US report they do not always receive information from specialists about the patients they referred⁴. This leaves patients vulnerable, as providers may miss crucial information that would give them insight into the overall picture of health.  

Additionally, as medicine has become highly specialized, patients have to see multiple providers to assess various concerns. One study showed that in 2019, 35% of medicare beneficiaries saw five or more physicians. Those with more complex conditions could see many more. And while these doctors may be experts in their own fields, they often lack the training or knowledge to interpret results from other specialties.

‍Driven by profit

Ironically, the American medical industrial complex thrives on illness. If people aren’t sick, no one gets paid. While this shouldn’t affect the quality of a physician’s care, the goal of for-profit hospitals, insurance agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and specialized medical providers is to deliver results to their shareholders, not their patients. For these for-profit entities, patient care is not the priority: the bottom line is. Care providers are also harmed by this system, spending much of their time completing insurance paperwork; searching for more cost-effective ways to treat patients; and fulfilling hospital quotas, rather than advancing their skills through training and education. 

Reactive

In an ideal world, whole-body, comprehensive health screenings would be routine. Unfortunately, the American system is far more concerned with bandaids than with the big picture. Nearly 40% of Americans forgo recommended annual physicals or routine preventative care due to cost and availability of primary care, and only 8% routinely receive their recommended preventative screenings^5,6.

While early intervention can stem the progress of — or even prevent — certain chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, many people do not have the luxury of getting better before they get worse. The average American takes 4+ prescription drugs, usually to manage symptoms rather than address root causes⁷.

Unequal

In the last few decades, medical concierge services have emerged as a way to supplement these gaps in care, providing on-demand, holistic, and preventative treatments that see the whole patient, address comprehensive health goals, and provide breakthrough therapies. The problem? These services cost tens of thousands of dollars annually, and are therefore reserved for the 1%. 

The inequities in the medical system are particularly stark along racial lines. Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely than white Americans to report poor or fair health, to delay medical care due to cost, and to be uninsured. A 2024 study showed that in nearly all U.S. states, there are notable disparities in outcomes, access, and quality of health care between white populations and Black, Hispanic, and American Indian communities⁸. And even when they can access care, outcomes for patients of colour are worse. For example, a recent public health survey in Mississippi highlighted infant mortality rates about 15.2 per 1,000 for Black infants versus ~5.8 per 1,000 for white infants — a disparity so stark that the state declared a public health emergency⁹. 

‍Slow.

‍Despite a robust history of American medical research facilities and breakthroughs, it takes an average of 17 years for research to make its way from the lab to the doctor’s office¹⁰. This gap — between research and implementation — is the result of numerous structural factors, including public access to knowledge, insurance bureaucracy, testing and development protocols, and more. In practice, it results in life-saving techniques and treatments languishing in the lab, leaving patients at risk. 

For a patient stuck in the machine of America’s medical system, these issues are, at a minimum, a frustrating hurdle to clear. At their worst, however, they can be life threatening. And while change is sorely needed, the type of structural overhaul that would mend the gaps in the healthcare system would take decades, along with immense political will and cooperation. 

But there is hope. 

What’s next? 

In the words of Dr. Anant Vinjamoori, Superpower’s Chief Longevity Officer, “We live in a golden age of information.” 

Machine learning is rapidly changing the landscape. Targeted AI models can:

1. Synthesize and analyze medical imaging, tests, and data at remarkable speeds to more quickly detect and treat disease;
2. Ientify patterns in patient data to predict outcomes and propose personalized treatment
3. Automate many of the administrative tasks that once took provider time away from the actual business of care

Health wearables can continuously monitor important vital signs, detect early signs of illness, and provide new insights into our bodies and habits. 

And the field of longevity medicine is exploding, with new supplements and treatments opening the potential for a life that is not just longer but healthier, more comfortable, and more full.  

With all these advancements, now is an incredibly meaningful time to enact change. 

Superpower 

Rather than waiting for the system to evolve, we decided to build a new one. At Superpower, we’re redefining what accessible, quality healthcare looks like by making the benefits of concierge care available to all. 

We support the whole patient with comprehensive labs testing over 100 biomarkers, all your health data seamlessly integrated in one place, and a personalized action plan. You’ll have 24/7 access to a dedicated concierge team, advanced diagnostic testing add-ons whenever needed, and a curated marketplace of trusted supplements and prescriptions. 

Step out of the broken system and into your Superpower.