Article at a glance:

The coming convergence of US health care and financial services

• The health insurance and financial-services industries in the United States are converging as consumers take a more active role in saving for their own health care.
• The movement is shaking up the health insurance industry, leading to once-in-a-generation profit opportunities but also to big competitive threats from financial-services and benefits administration companies.
• Health insurers are already responding by looking for ways to get closer to the consumer. Some are partnering with financial-services firms.
• Insurers will have to choose among three roles in the value chain in order to take advantage of these new opportunities and the successful companies will invest in new capabilities now.