The Emerging Business-to-consumer Medical Device Market

Economists and healthcare academics have stated for years that the normal market dynamics for supply and demand curves do not apply for the consumption of healthcare. In other words, the price goes up as demand increases, attracting new suppliers that increase the supply, which brings the price back to normal because healthcare in the United States is consumed, for the most part, as a commodity. An important element of any commodity is that price is set as a component of the market as a whole, determined by the interactivity of market demand and supply. In the business of US healthcare, myriad industry verticals set market demand and its pricing, not the actual healthcare consumers. The acute emergence of the individual US healthcare consumer is driving a shift in business models. The sizable purchasing power of this population demographic is quantifiably impacting the supply and demand curve for healthcare in the United States. The impact of this new development is beginning to bebeing seen in primary and residual economic modeling, the market entry strategy for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of medical devices, hospitals, and preventive medicine vendors. With the establishment of a true healthcare consumer, many patients are discovering their healthcare costs are lower by staying at home and avoiding hospital co-pays and deductibles. This developing retail opportunity is capitalizing on established pent up demand for unique and personal healthcare products. In addition, this demand is creating an unanticipated opportunity for the business-to-consumer (B2C) medical device market.