Medical Insurance For GPS Tracking Devices
Insurers Should Help Pay For Tracking Bracelets
One of the biggest problems facing the baby boomer generation is rising health care costs. Doctor visits and prescription drug costs continue to rise, leaving many seniors struggling to sufficiently manage their health-related issues. One of the more serious health problems facing the elderly is the degenerative disease known as Alzheimer's, and sadly no known cure is available. Diseases such as Alzheimer's present many unique challenges not only to the person diagnosed but also family members and caregivers who oversee those diagnosed. This is because one of the very problematic symptoms of the degenerative illness is the behavior of wandering. Wandering seniors can place themselves in harm's way, but GPS tracking bracelets offer a convenient way for families and caregivers to monitor high-risk seniors. The only problem is that GPS tracker hardware and data plan costs are often not covered by medical insurance providers.
GPS Tracker Bracelets: What's The Cost?
Many healthcare costs can be extremely expensive. MRIs, medications, wheelchairs and a number of other products or services can cost thousands of dollars. Even those with some of the best insurance coverage plans have to fork out large sums of cash for surgeries, doctor visits and prescription drugs. GPS tracker devices also come with a cost, but a relatively small cost when compared to many of the other costs associated with medical care. For example, a reliable senior GPS tracking bracelet will cost roughly $300.00. This one-time cost is not a rental, rather the purchasing cost for a person/family/medical center to on the GPS tracking hardware.
GPS tracking watches or bracelets provide real-time GPS locational data. Therefore, they send and receive data in the same way a mobile device transmits data. This data transfer requires a monthly cost. The average monthly data plan for a senior GPS tracker is $29 per month.
China Beidou To Compete With United States GPS System
Chinese Seek Satellite Independence With BDS
When the Department of Defense allowed private companies and people to access data from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth the end result was progression. Think about it for a second. Fitness watches, navigation devices, tracker systems and a million different apps for smart phones all use some component of locational technology based on GPS. None of these technologies would even be possible if the government wanted to keep their satellite controlled locational technology to themselves for military and surveillance applications. GPS has opened up an entirely new world for society and eliminated the days when people would write down directions with a pen and paper. Unfortunately, some countries can't handle being second fiddle to the innovative genius of the United States. This is part of the reason why our "friends" over in China have made nearly a trillion dollar investment into the creation of a new navigation and tracking satellite system called Beidou (BDS) that the Chinese hope will rival GPS.
According to information gathered from China Daily, the Chinese government is hoping Beidou will increase the countries' emerging navigational service sector while also making China far less reliant on foreign satellite technologies. With escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and China quickly rising to the top as a world super power, this new satellite plan would protect the country if for some reason the United States chose to deny the Chinese access to GPS tracking and navigational technologies. In fact, some groups such as DefensePolicy.org actually believe Beidou will give the Chinese a strategic advantage if any form of hostilities broke out in the east by giving the country the ability to more accurately combat advanced ground and naval forces such as those of elite military nations like the United States.
Commercial Applications of Beidou
The group behind the development of the Beidou system believe that the new satellite technology will open up more doors in the commercial market which could be especially helpful considering the growth increase for the country. With a more accessible satellite guided navigational and tracking technology, limos, taxis and other transportation vehicles will have the capability to instantly locate passengers. This will not only improve business fleet management efficiency, but also significantly reduce fuel consumption while reducing emissions. This would be a huge benefit considering the well documented pollution issues associated with Chinese vehicles and manufacturing facilities known to have some of the worst emission problems in the world.
The network of 35 satellites that will make up the Beidou system are expected to have total global coverage by the year 2020, providing precise positioning, tracking and navigation. Currently, the Chinese have launched a little under half (16) satellites dedicated to navigation.
Applications Of Beidou System
- Military Transport
- Weather Forecast
- Navigation
- Vehicle Tracking
- Commercial Fishing,
- Telecommunications
- Hydrological Monitoring
- Mapping & Routing
Naturally, the Beidou system will feature a number of functions that will calculate timing, altitude, navigation, position and more, but the terminals will also feature the ability to share information with stations on the ground via short message. This is significant because if things play out in the way the Chinese government hopes it will allow the Beidou system to steal upwards of 75% of market share currently owned by GPS systems.
The relationship between the United States and China is cross-beneficial, as the Chinese hold more American currency than any other nation and we purchase all of their cheaply manufactured goods created through essentially slave labor to fill our Wal-Marts. However, should Americans be concerned a country such as China known to violate human rights and harm the environment is gaining access to sophisticated technology?
