Having recently dealt with broken arms, legs, neurosurgery and other emergency room visits it is no wonder that my mind is on the state of healthcare. I feel like I’ve seen the inside of more hospital rooms than the cast of E.R. With all the concern about the need for good health care today I felt compelled to look for someone who would fund efforts to deliver good care at a reasonable cost. Here’s a new resource putting considerable funding toward this goal.

This week’s pick: In effort to respond to President Obama’s call for bold ideas to revitalize our healthcare system, the new Healthcare X Prize Competition was announced by the X Prize Foundation, insurance company WellPoint, and the WellPoint Foundation. They are searching for a group that comes up with an “optimal health paradigm that provides the highest quality health care for the greatest number of people at the lowest possible cost”. The award will be at least $10 million.

This competition will give teams 18 months to design, model and submit plans for a health prototype that can affect the health and well being of individuals and communities. The top 5 performers will be matched to a test community for a three-year trial.

For more information, including additional details the competition, X PRIZE Foundation, WellPoint, or WellPoint Foundation, please visit: http://www.xprize.org/future-x-prizes/healthcare-x-prize/wellpoint