Hoping for a health care revolution
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Hoping for a health care revolution
TEXT OF STORY
SCOTT JAGOW: The founder of AOL, Steve Case, is into other things these days. He left AOL four years ago. Today, he launches a new medical website called RevolutionHealth.com. Case sank $100 million of his own money into the venture. He also got some big-name backers — Colin Powell and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Ashley Milne-Tyte tells us more about the project.
ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE: Steve Case’s brother was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001. Case says the bureaucratic maze his brother had to go through along with his treatment was a catalyst for this website.
The site wants to be a guide through the health care system, as well as a repository of health information.
A premium membership costs $129. Staci Kramer is with PaidContent.org:
STACI KRAMER: Basically this gives you personal representatives who are supposed to help you find answers to insurance questions.
And help you find doctors . . .
KRAMER: I mean right now you can do that by calling any number of health lines or going through your insurance company, but what they’re promising to do is do it with you and for you.
She says there are plenty of confused and time-strapped consumers who will fork out for that luxury.
Still she says, the site will need to sign up a lot of members — and attract plenty of advertisers — to recoup Case’s $100 million investment and make the business a success.
In New York, I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.
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