In the world of Higher Ed, the changes that have been mentioned are already occurring. Layoffs, hiring freezes, budget cuts, replacing full faculty with adjuncts, closing departments, etc. are the norm now and have been for close to a decade. It's due to a lot of factors, but the big ones are drastically reduced state subsidies and a population lull. We are hitting the inverse of the baby boom generation. There are simply fewer students out there right now, so schools are looking at creative ways to attract them. The big boom is going to come overseas. China and India have an explosion of students who are eligible/need college training, but not enough schools to meet the demand. And an online environment will be a perfect solution for this.
As for heath care data, I agree insurance companies would love to have data so they can prevent illnesses before having to pay for the big expensive procedures. But I also could see them using this data to remove potentially expensive patients from their rolls. Let's say they determine that you are eating a high fat 5,000 calorie a day diet, or that high levels of nicotine or THC keep showing up in your urine. Or more importantly, that some screen tips them off that you have cancer before you even know it. I could see you premiums jumping or coverage being dropped long before you even know there is a problem.
As for heath care data, I agree insurance companies would love to have data so they can prevent illnesses before having to pay for the big expensive procedures. But I also could see them using this data to remove potentially expensive patients from their rolls. Let's say they determine that you are eating a high fat 5,000 calorie a day diet, or that high levels of nicotine or THC keep showing up in your urine. Or more importantly, that some screen tips them off that you have cancer before you even know it. I could see you premiums jumping or coverage being dropped long before you even know there is a problem.
