Employers are a vital component of the US health system, funding more than $1 trillion of the US health ecosystem. But Europe has, until now, had a more hands-off approach.

Health and employment are both vital, but ne'er the two shall meet. We are, as a continent, somewhat uneasy about this relationship. But as employers start to look more closely at the benefits of a healthy workforce, both mentally and physically, and the increasing number of companies offering solutions to a healthier and happier workforce, is it time to readdress this standpoint?

At a high level, the map of players in European healthcare is a relatively simple one. Payers, providers, life sciences, healthtech. But new players are moving into the space. Organisations that aren't generally associated with health. Think Uber, energy providers or postal services. And many more…

These unconventional entrants are reshaping a new corner of the landscape by capitalising on their expansive networks and customer bases. This diversification underscores the dynamic evolution underway within the European healthcare ecosystem.

As these new players continue to redefine health, how might their entry influence the roles of the traditional healthcare players? What innovative solutions could arise from this expanding map of players? And what can we all learn from the new kids on the block?

It's been 2,500 years since Herodotus uttered the phrase ‘Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks’, and yet despite a two-and-a-half-millennia head start, risk and healthcare remain uneasy bedfellows.

The history of healthcare is littered with pioneers who took extraordinary risks - from Jenner's smallpox vaccine to Curie’s pioneering work with radiation. But with medical litigation on the rise across Europe, have we become too risk-averse to usher in a new era of medicine?

'It’ll never work in our healthcare system’ sneered the health minister. 'Our system is different and unique’.

‘Nor ours’, added their international counterpart. ‘Our people, system, and health issues are all entirely idiosyncratic’.

Except…well…they’re not, are they? If the pandemic showed us anything, it’s that health doesn’t really care about lines on a map.

Every system has its own challenges, its own quirks, its own individualities. But better outcomes were never achieved by looking only inwards. What can we learn from our neighbours?

What technology, best practices and ways of working can we transfer to improve our own systems? And how do we ensure the default setting is symbiosis, not silos?