Back before Election Day, there was plenty of debate on which health care reform would work best in the country. Would the government be better at providing quality care, or would competition incentivize better care?
Well, if you'd look at the growing medical tourism trend, it might be neither. A foreign country might provide better care - at a much cheaper rate. Medical tourism is when a patient travels overseas to another country, say India, for an expensive medical procedure. Why would anyone do such a thing? Care overseas is much, much cheaper.
A Businessweek report stated that a surgery costing $50,000 here could cost only $10,000 in India. The health insurance company paid less than half for major medical care in a foreign country including paying for a plane ticket. That could possibly hint at lower premiums as well as more coverage for the patient.
Obviously, there is also the issue of something bad happening. Patients do not have the same rights as in the U.S., and they can't be positive of the care being good quality. But, there does happen to be an organization that accredits out of country health facilities for their quality health care.
Health insurance companies are also wary of follow-up health care from overseas procedures. Do they send the patient back overseas? Do they cover physical therapy or other follow-up care in the U.S.? The BusinessWeek article wrote that many insurers are starting to get over their initial worries.
So, what we want to know now is, if medical tourism will become a regular thing. And if it does, what does that tell us about our own health care system? Additionally, is our health care so expensive that it leaves us no choice but to travel elsewhere for good care? - 15224
Well, if you'd look at the growing medical tourism trend, it might be neither. A foreign country might provide better care - at a much cheaper rate. Medical tourism is when a patient travels overseas to another country, say India, for an expensive medical procedure. Why would anyone do such a thing? Care overseas is much, much cheaper.
A Businessweek report stated that a surgery costing $50,000 here could cost only $10,000 in India. The health insurance company paid less than half for major medical care in a foreign country including paying for a plane ticket. That could possibly hint at lower premiums as well as more coverage for the patient.
Obviously, there is also the issue of something bad happening. Patients do not have the same rights as in the U.S., and they can't be positive of the care being good quality. But, there does happen to be an organization that accredits out of country health facilities for their quality health care.
Health insurance companies are also wary of follow-up health care from overseas procedures. Do they send the patient back overseas? Do they cover physical therapy or other follow-up care in the U.S.? The BusinessWeek article wrote that many insurers are starting to get over their initial worries.
So, what we want to know now is, if medical tourism will become a regular thing. And if it does, what does that tell us about our own health care system? Additionally, is our health care so expensive that it leaves us no choice but to travel elsewhere for good care? - 15224
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