Institute For The Future

The Health Horizons Program has been mapping the landscape of challenges and responses for health and health care in 2020. We have been looking ahead over the next decade because the future of health and health care seems more uncertain then ever before.

We ask ourselves questions such as the following:

What if demands for sustainability require achieving healthy outcomes without harming the environment?

What if new technologies enable us to experience the future effects of present-day behavior choices?

What if self-tracking goes mainstream and shapes research and treatment practices?

One thing we all agree on, the challenges we face are daunting. At a glance, the United States seems to be the healthiest nation in the world, yet we rank low on longevity and other indicators of health. We spend more of our disposable income on medical care than food or housing, yet more than 130 million people suffer from chronic illness. And despite recent efforts by educators, public health officials, and the media to focus attention on the problem, one in five American 4-year-olds is now obese.

The signs of change are everywhere, but now is not the time to be overwhelmed by the complexity of what may lie ahead. We have designed a tool, the HC 2020 Signals and Forecasts map, to help you systematically think about the future. It charts the important directions of change to help you respond to the challenges and opportunities of the coming decade.

Please download our HC2020 Signals & Forecast Map to learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.