The W.A.I.T. index measures velocity, not value.
A country that reimburses everything quickly scores well. A country that reimburses selectively but gets extraordinary value from every euro spent scores poorly.
The ultimate metric is total health per unit cost spent — and that requires both speed and selectivity.
A two-sided political test
Governments that use W.A.I.T. as a shield should ask: are we slow because we are rigorous, or are we slow because our systems are inefficient and our processes are designed to delay rather than decide?
Industry that uses W.A.I.T. as a marketing tool should ask: are we being blocked because payers don't understand value, or because we haven't made a compelling case that the value is real and the price is fair?
The goal
The goal is not to fund every medicine quickly. The goal is to fund the mix of care that generates the most health — for patients living now, and for the patients who will need the treatments being developed tomorrow.
Speed matters. But speed in the absence of value is just expensive.