Features
A Private Matter
A growing senior citizen population and Americans' increasing lifespan are driving growth in the incontinence products market. Add in new materials and more product styles, and the market is ripe for continued growth. But are home medical equipment providers getting their share? Can HME companies compete with drugstores and grocers in providing incontinence products? Experts in the sector say yes.
Incontinence is experienced by 25 million adult Americans with 75 to 80 percent of them women. Incontinence, according to IRI data, was a $639 million market in 2008.
"I expect the incontinence market to grow significantly along with the growth of the senior market, at a higher rate of 5 percent annually, based on the proportion of woman living longer and the continued overall increase in longevity," says Peter Kaplan, category manager for incontinence and diabetes for Invacare Supply Group.
"The 65-plus market is expected to grow from 12.4 percent of the population to 19.6 percent by 2030. This translates into growth from approximately 35 million seniors to an estimated 71 million, with those 80-plus growing from 9.3 million in 2000 to 19.5 million in 2030," he adds. "The explosive growth of the senior market is the result of baby boomers living longer, eating healthier and pursuing more active lifestyles as well as improved medical care."
Daniel Lafferty, marketing home care director for SCA Personal Care North America, says incontinence product sales are continuing to increase by as much as 8 percent each year.
"The channel is still broken up into private pay/cash and Medicaid reimbursement. This split remains nearly 90 percent Medicaid reimbursement today, depending on how you choose to define the market," says Lafferty. "The cash side of the business is growing as business owners recognize that the reimbursed portion of the market is competitive and margins are extremely low."
The aging of America is directly related to the market for incontinence products, not only on the growth of sales but also on product design and consumer preferences.
