I am very familiar with this industry.
It is expected that new medical devices currently in the pipeline will come out between now and 2015.
After that, Obamacare will reduce the development of new devices to near zero as cost controls will prohibit new technologies over existing technologies.
Therefore, device manufacturers are looking to increase margins on existing equipment as much as possible.....that means producing these using the lowest labor rates.
This is what happens under managed care.....development stops, existing diseases remain untreatable and no cures are developed.
But, because those products are never available, nobody misses them.
I’ve been an Development Engineer in this industry for the past 20 Years.
Never available.....never missed. You said it.
In the last few days I seen (TV)and heard (radio) too many commercials to count about contacting (LAWYERS) for every medical device in existance and too many drugs to count.
The commercials sound as though the device makers and drug manufacturers as WILLFULLY injuring people.
The answer..accept NO medical device and take NO drugs. You have the right to peacefully die.
As the Patent Protections for Propriety Drugs expire, the search for NEW treatments and cures will diminish rapidly.
As it become “not worth the effort” to devise and patent that new “joint replacement” the effort won’t be made.
I think that is supposed to be progress.
Losing our industrial base makes America more vulnerable too. Just think, just in this industry, our medicines, and stents, clamps, bandages, blood tests, surgical gloves, bed pans...whatever, are being made or will be made in foreign countries.