Private equity firms see considerable profits in healthcare, often at the expense of patients and families. Profit is a crucial driving focus of many businesses. Although private equity investment in health care could lead to improvement by injecting needed capital, a pressing concern is that many private equity firms often operate on the model of buying and quickly selling for a substantial profit within three years.

Nearly half of all deaths from cancer are caused by known modifiable risk factors, with smoking, alcohol consumption, and high body mass index (BMI) among the top three, notes the Union for International Cancer Control. The promise of breakthrough drugs to help people lose weight must not be used as an excuse to avoid tackling the root causes of obesity.