The inclusion of a tax on medical devices has opponents of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act arguing that manufacturers will be less inclined to pursue new life-saving and cost-cutting technologies. In response, some health professionals are looking to developing nations — where expensive treatments remain financially unrealistic — for inspiration.

It is known as "reverse innovation" — the idea that doctors who assist in providing care in developing countries often return with fresh approaches to treatment — and it's becoming more common as costs in the United States continue to rise.

A recent series profiling Bangladesh's creative approach to care, published in The Lancet medical journal, attributes that country's health advances to a continued focus on mobilizing community health workers, as well as a government commitment to partnerships with not-for-profit organizations.