We believe the overall escalating cost of medical products and services being paid for by the government and private health insurance has led to, and will continue to lead to, increased pressures on the health care and medical device industry to reduce the costs of products and services. For example, HHS began implementation in 2025 of “Most Favored Nation” drug pricing by setting the Medicare price of single-source brand drugs without generic or biosimilar competition to the lowest price available in wealthy countries with a per capita GDP of at least 60% of that in the United States. All third-party reimbursement programs are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling health care costs through prospective reimbursement and capitation programs, group purchasing, redesign of benefits, requiring second opinions before major surgery, careful review of bills, encouragement of healthier lifestyles and other preventative services and exploration of more cost-effective methods of delivering health care.
