Have you ever looked into the future? Soothsayers of old were considered to have magical powers if they could forecast what their paying customers believed to be true of impending doom or fortune. Old Testament prophets had the ear of God, and would lament over the rise and fall of the Hebrew nation based on the obedience of the people to the Ten Commandments.

Fortune tellers in carnival environments never run out of individuals who gaze into a crystal ball and pay to hear what may happen to them. And, of course, who cannot resist reading the daily horoscope in the paper? Millions of faithful followers base their daily routine on what the zodiac symbols say every day.

Employers and insurance carriers alike are similar in nature to those who want to know the future, especially in the health care world. Certain trends, if forecasted early enough, can be the difference between fortune and loss, based on what develops over the coming months and years. Believe it or not, 2013 is only a few months away. And 2014 is coming soon enough. The time is now to begin thinking about what to expect, and how to be prepared for it. Future trending in health care is a tricky business, and very much so this year due to the political nature of health care legislation.