In a Confusing Healthcare System, Building Simple Technology is Vital

For technology creators looking to innovate in the healthcare space, it’s important to build products that are simple to use and don’t make healthcare more confusing than it already is.

On the day of the most recent Democratic debate for the 2020 presidential nomination, National Public Radio ran an article explaining the various healthcare terms Americans could expect to hear during the debate¹. NPR made a point that the language around healthcare reform can be murky and confusing, citing a Kaiser Family Foundation poll showing that 87% of Democrats support “Medicare for All” while only 64% support “single-payer healthcare,” despite these two terms meaning nearly the same thing. Navigating the United States healthcare system can be so complicated, even the proposals for making it more streamlined are difficult for many Americans to understand.

When Earnin developed Health Aid, we took a deep look at how we could help Americans better manage their medical bills. We saw first-hand that tech products related to healthcare need to be more just an application - they need to be helpful to use, quick to get results, easy to set up, and transparent enough to build and sustain trust.

The healthcare system has a lot of problems waiting to be solved, but building an effective solution for real people means remembering those who use the product. People need healthcare technology that works for them, and is clear and painless to use.