Big data and the welfare state : how the information revolution threatens social solidarity

"While we were writing this book, one of the authors fell ill. The diagnosis required two CAT scans, two MRIs, consultation with an oto-neurologist, an otolaryngologist, and an audiologist, while the treatment required a week in the hospital, a total of 15 hours of surgery carried out by a team of highly-skilled neurosurgeons and an anesthesiologist, with several nurses on hand. Another six weeks of recovery involved physical therapy and multiple checkups. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the whole episode cost in excess of US$250,000, all of which was paid by a private insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, via a standard occupational insurance plan."