Two things happened in January that really got the attention of a lot of people in this country - the payroll tax expired and in some cases insurance premiums went up. This cataclysmic effect sent many to Twitter and Facebook, ranting about how much money was being taken out of their monthly pay.

While I could go on about the first blow, it might be more appropriate to talk about the second, being that this is a blog on the med-tech and healthcare industry.

According to a report titled, "Cost of Comprehensive Health Benefits” from eHealth, the average monthly premiums for individual and family health insurance plans are 47% higher than average when said plans cover a comprehensive list of eight health benefits as compared to 2012. The report also found that deductibles for these plans covering these eight health benefits are 27% lower.

To many of us who have covered the med-tech space for years this comes as no surprise. For a while now, we've heard the term sick care, and have seen reports curtailing the rising costs and how something needs to be done. The only difference is, now this is having a definite impact on the cost to the consumer and it's not the elephant in the room any more, it's the gaping hole in the consumer's wallet.

While it is hard to gauge the impact of President Obama's healthcare plan, one thing is certain, and that's the vitality of the U.S. healthcare system depends on the plan's success.