A ‘what if’ piece of speculative fiction, contemplating how the power of insurance companies might manifest in the future
// 2038 - Ten people sit silently in a rumbling transport, surrounded by gear. One is asleep.
A younger team member begins to fidget and then pipes up - “Why are we here? I was on a beach two days ago!”
An older team member starts talking, with the cadence of an oft-repeated speech.
“Insurance companies and their profit margins. Vision insurance covers optometrist visits, but medical insurance covers ophthalmologist services.”
“An optometrist is an eye doctor that does the basics: examining, diagnosing, and treating eyes. They measure vision and write prescriptions for contacts and glasses. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who performs medical and surgical interventions. They deal with cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, and the like.”
“Optometrists made most of their profit from selling glasses and contacts at high markups. Around the late 2010s, people started getting wise to the fact that they could ask for their prescription, and then order glasses online at a fraction of the cost. By the mid-2020s, optometry was dying. Optometrists were desperate for new revenue streams.”
“The industry received a much needed injection of new patients and profits thanks to the radical increase in myopia and other long Covid lockdown related vision issues. Turns out not going outside and staring at screens for long periods of time is bad for your eyes.”
“When the first augmented reality contact lenses appeared in the mid 2030s, the optometry industry jumped on them hard. Gen A rejected the smartphone as ‘a tool of the old’. The optometrist and vision insurance profits were immense.”
“This is where our Insurance overlords come in. The medical insurance industry wanted a cut. Huge PR campaigns and government lobbying efforts try to sway public and legislative opinions. The legislation didn’t go anywhere, as it ran straight into the quagmire of insurance reform. Things got really nasty for a while. Eventually, a truce was reached between the insurance MegaCorps, carving up territory and profit streams.”
“Though, sometimes, someone gets out of line. And we get to enforce the terms of that truce, by whatever means necessary.”
The older team member's voice rises as they stand, grabbing their M41A pulse rifle and strapping on their combat helmet - “This optometrist set up shop in the wrong megablock! It’s time to get some!”
The sound of weapon checks and body armor adjustments fill the transport.
“And somebody wake up Hicks.”