America Can’t Lower Healthcare Costs Without A Moonshot

InnovationHealthcareAmerica Can’t Lower Healthcare Costs Without A MoonshotByRobert Pearl, M.D.,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dr. Robert Pearl covers the people, tech and business of healthcare.Follow AuthorApr 27, 2026, 12:00pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.A Dr. with a stethoscope and funny sunglasses makes a funny face while givinggettyIn 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land a man on the moon. It’s often remembered as a triumph of vision and inspiration. The reality was more urgent and existential. The United States was locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and the fear of falling behind in technological dominance made the mission unavoidable.Today’s space race is driven by a different force. Governments and private companies are investing billions in hopes of seizing an economic advantage: creating new satellite infrastructures, blazing the next frontier of computing and extracting rare-earth minerals.Moonshots don’t happen simply because they are “the right thing to do.” They happen for two reasons: fear or financial motivation. And if the United States is going to solve its healthcare affordability crisis, one of those forces will have to drive transformative change. That’s because it will take the equivalent of a moonshot to close the gap between the cost of care and Americans’ ability to afford it.A Crisis Too Big For Small Fixes The scale of America’s healthcare affordability crisis is difficult to overstate. The United States now spends more than $5.6 trillion a year on healthcare, roughly 19% of the nation’s gross domestic product. On a per-person basis, that equates to more than $15,000 annually, nearly double what other developed countries spend.MORE FOR YOUFor employers and employees, the impact is equally stark. The average annual premium for family coverage now approaches $27,00...