By GMDC
It isn't streamlined, it isn't logical, but America's cobbled-together system of paying for medical care does cover 85 percent of the population.
And despite the chorus of pleas for a sweeping redesign of America's medical insurance system as the 2008 presidential race heats up, a top-to-bottom makeover seems less likely than a series of reforms that aims to fill in gaps in coverage
The calls for a far-reaching redesign of the health care system are as loud as they were in 1993, when a newly elected Bill Clinton tried to persuade Congress to enact a form of national insurance - the last time a president took on the issue.
Whether the new president is a Republican or a Democrat, a redesign will be difficult to pull off. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms and medical device makers, all of whom have a vested interest in averting radical change, are big campaign contributors and are strongly represented by lobbyists in Washington. That helps explain Congress' reluctance to do more than tinker with a system that left an estimated 44 million Americans without health insurance last year.
Many of them did not require medical care, but a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that six percent of the population, or about 18 million people, reported that they were unable to get needed care due to cost at some time during the previous year.
The current patchwork system of paying for medical care results in disparities, with some low-income people going uncovered and affluent retirees having more coverage than they need. Most of these individuals turn to over-the-counter (OTC) treatments for treatment. For individuals with access to flexible savings accounts or health spending accounts, many of the OTC health expenses can also be reimbursed.
Most at risk are those who don't have adequate medical insurance because they are not poor enough to be eligible for the "safety net" Medicaid program and yet can't afford to pay insurance premiums. Often the only jobs they can get are ones with scanty or no health insurance benefits.
Discussion Questions: Does the impact of insured/non-insured consumers affect the sales of typical self-care categories such as OTC health care products, durable medical products, diabetes products, etc.? How has the impact of Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Spending Accounts affected these product categories? Do you see further government support and reimbursement for these product categories?