Technology and health care-driving costs up, not down

Health care costs in the United States are approaching a trillion dollars per year, about 14% of the Gross National Product. Despite this enormous cost, about 20% of the population are without health insurance. An even greater number are only partially insured. Under these circumstances, what are the roles of technical innovations such as telemedicine and electronic medical records? Will these innovations, if implemented, reduce health care costs, or just make the problem worse? The paper considers how these innovations are more likely to increase than to decrease costs.