United States Regulatory Reimbursement, Political Environment, and Strategies for Reform

There is no doubt that the United States faces tremendous economic and healthcare pressures from the aging of its population and the effects of a range of diseases and disabilities. The numbers are staggering. For example:

• Following the current path, diabetes cases will increase by 52.9% between 2003 and 2023. The cost for treating complications of Type 2 diabetics over a 30-year period is estimated to be $47,240 per patient (Cutler and McClellan 2010).