India spoke loud and clear with extreme pricing caps on total knee replacements, while CMS sends mixed messages on controlling costs in the US
Outside the US the Total Joints Market softened during Q217, offsetting stable to strengthening results in US Knees and Hips, with the WW Market (as reported) growing +0.7%. Countries such as India are working to reduce the cost burden of joint replacement surgery, while in the US, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) is sending mixed messages keeping reimbursement rates relatively flat while proposing reductions to its Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement bundled payments initiative...
Healthcare has been a hot button issue during this year’s political campaigns. On both sides of the aisle, candidates from the national to more local levels have been pushing plans for changing the system from “repealing and replacing” to “reforming” the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But true, long-lasting change is rarely driven by political policy alone, but by a combination of factors including market forces.