The initial invention was gov't funded, but it wasn't until (decades) later when business began investing in it that it really took off. And became much more than an academic toy.
Companies weren't interested in the internet until they could make a profit. The same way they aren't interested in treatments/medicines/cures unless they can make a profit. What if these decisions were made altruistically based on how many people you can help, regardless of the profits...
It's also why health care should be a government problem rather than a free market problem. They can focus on the right things rather than the profitable things, no business can survive doing that.
