If only life were that simple -- maybe we could pick health insurance like we do items from the McDonald's (MCD) Dollar Menu (or the bill of fare at Nobu): a la carte.

But life isn't simple, so rather than try and adapt medical care to some reality that doesn't exist, we're stuck with precious few options for coverage. Whether you're insured through a plan at work or you pay for it yourself, the freedom to select a level of care commensurate with your lifestyle is a challenge indeed -- and this is true regardless of whether you're covered by a mega-insurer like Aetna (AET), United Health (UNH), Cigna (CIG), or Humana (HUM), or by some smaller HMO on the verge of being swallowed up by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Sure, we get to toy with deductible amounts, maybe even opt for a $10-cheaper co-pay or roll the dice with a "catastrophic only" plan. But by and large, most insurers offer an exceedingly boring -- although generally confusing -- array of options.

But that all may be changing.

As health care has regained the starring role on the American political stage, an industry deeply entrenched in the status quo is being forced to consider change. President Obama may have failed in his attempt to jam through a health-care-reform bill before Congress's summer recess, but he succeeded in reigniting the heated debate about how best to keep a country's citizens well.

Industry leaders are beginning to think outside the box, envisioning a world where, whether it be in lieu of nationalized health care or in spite of it, choice may drive consumers' decisions. Take Bupa International, the world's biggest insurer for expatriates.

According to the Telegraph, for 20 years, Bupa has offered clients 3 options for coverage, using an extraordinarily bland trio of "Classic, Gold, and Essential" to designate different levels of care. Keeping its clients well in countries around the world -- which may or may not have commensurate levels of care available -- is becoming exceedingly difficult, and the company is breaking with tradition and offering customers (gasp!) real choices.

Well, 4 choices. But it's a start.

In rolling out its new World Health Options plan, or WHO, (no word on whether the World Health Organization is filing suit for acronym infringement), Bupa is offering customers the option to tack on 4 specific "modules" to their core coverage, allowing them to customize care for their specific needs. Notably, the "Evacuation" module provides Medevac services, and is particularly popular with expats living in the developing world.

Bupa is acutely aware of the vastly different coverage options for clients living in, say, Angola, compared to those sipping espresso along the Seine in Gay Paree. This disparity, sadly, mirrors that of many metropolitan areas in the US, where the well-to-do enjoy medical care the population at large can only dream of. It's for this reason that in the not-too-distant future -- especially in a future that's shaken up by an industry-changing federal health-care initiative -- it isn't far-fetched to expect insurance companies to consider giving Americans real choices when it comes to coverage.

It makes good sense: Should a 22-year-old frat boy turned Goldman Sachs (GS) financial analyst really have the same coverage and payment plan as his 33-year old boss -- the one who's decided to duck out of the rat race for a few years to father a few kids? The former's coverage should focus on splints for broken appendages and regular stomach-pumping, while the latter would do well to take up yoga or start seeing a dietitian.

While certain essential care items will likely remain components of all plans, picking insurance should be no different than choosing which cable package to order up from Time Warner (TWC) or AT&T (T). After all, when it comes to health care, there's no such thing as too many HBOs.