Medical Tourism

[oconto]

Interesting article about how the healthcare cost is US is 10 times higher than other countries. People go to another country (in this case India) to get heart surgery. Paid 10k instead of 175k. :eek: WOW!!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/27/india.medical.travel/index.html


Something should be done to get the cost down. I don't know what that is.

[Hereintheusa]

The health insurance provider I work for is looking at sending people abroad for a number of different operations because of this very issue.

[janer]

What is the liability of the surgeon or doctor?
What are the charity care mandates imposed upon the medical institution?
What expense has the country been put to in the lengthy and costly R&D+approval process for pharmaceuticals?
Will whatever travel insurance you carry cover for travel-related complications on the trip home?
Who will be liable for any complications in follow-up care? Joint replacement surgery, cardiac surgery, transplant surgeries often require months (or years) of routine follow-up care? Are you going to hold your US doctor liable if there is a complication due to the overseas surgery and post-surgical management?

[Hereintheusa]

What is the liability of the surgeon or doctor?
What are the charity care mandates imposed upon the medical institution?
What expense has the country been put to in the lengthy and costly R&D+approval process for pharmaceuticals?
Will whatever travel insurance you carry cover for travel-related complications on the trip home?
Who will be liable for any complications in follow-up care? Joint replacement surgery, cardiac surgery, transplant surgeries often require months (or years) of routine follow-up care? Are you going to hold your US doctor liable if there is a complication due to the overseas surgery and post-surgical management?

All those issues are covered. Believe it or not, hospitals and doctors are just as capable as US hospitals and doctors.

The insurance companies which will be using medical tourism will have done a full cost/benefit/risk analysis.

This will all be voluntary.

[Ballygrl]

Interesting article about how the healthcare cost is US is 10 times higher than other countries. People go to another country (in this case India) to get heart surgery. Paid 10k instead of 175k. :eek: WOW!!!!!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/27/india.medical.travel/index.html


Something should be done to get the cost down. I don't know what that is.

US Hospitals tend to inflate the costs of medical care to make up for the losses by getting paid a small amount from Medicare and Medicaid, and because they have to treat illegals, and of course Americans who are uninsured.

[CaptainPike]

US Hospitals tend to inflate the costs of medical care to make up for the losses by getting paid a small amount from Medicare and Medicaid, and because they have to treat illegals, and of course Americans who are uninsured.

What you said does nothing to demonstrate that other countries have better healthcare systems. We need to help Obama push his healthcare agenda.

You have failed.

[roger teekell]

What you said does nothing to demonstrate that other countries have better healthcare systems. We need to help Obama push his healthcare agenda.

You have failed.

That's because they are NOT better...

Just Cheaper...

Question: Do those Drs and hospitals have to deal with the enormous costs of "Peventive Medicine" made necessary because of the thousands of OUTRAGEOUS lawsuits filed againt medical professionals in this country???

I'm sure they don't!!

Want to bring medical costs down???

Two Words: "TORT REFORM"!!!!!

[Dreamy]

That's because they are NOT better...

Just Cheaper...

Question: Do those Drs and hospitals have to deal with the enormous costs of "Peventive Medicine" made necessary because of the thousands of OUTRAGEOUS lawsuits filed againt medical professionals in this country???

I'm sure they don't!!

Want to bring medical costs down???

Two Words: "TORT REFORM"!!!!!

:clap:Defensive medicine brought on by the very much broken malpractice system must be dealt with if we really want to reduce healthcare costs.



http://www.pwc.com/extweb/pwcpublications.nsf/docid/73272CB152086C6385257425006BA2FC

50 cents on every compensated dollar from a malpractce award goes to the lawyers and the courts.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/354/19/2024

[Ballygrl]

What you said does nothing to demonstrate that other countries have better healthcare systems. We need to help Obama push his healthcare agenda.

You have failed.

They don't though. I've spoken to people who wait months for an appt. for a CT Scan, have to go to a major city to get a PET Scan, have to wait anywhere from 3 months to a year and a half for surgery that takes only weeks to get in the US. Those countries also limit meds depending on cost etc.

[ISYairio]

I think I read that it is a $60 billion enterprise.

[skyyyguy]

Expect to see much much more of this in the future if the US adopts a socailized medical system. In fact I would expect it to become the primary industry of some smaller nations. Places like Grenada are primed for it.

[janer]

All those issues are covered. Believe it or not, hospitals and doctors are just as capable as US hospitals and doctors.

The insurance companies which will be using medical tourism will have done a full cost/benefit/risk analysis.

This will all be voluntary.

I am not sure how the issue of pharmaceuticals can be "covered". The development of new drugs is a US industry. Hundreds of millions are invested - risked - on the lengthy process of development, trials, approval and finally marketing with an expectation of recouping the investment and making a profit. While the drug, once approved may be manufactured elsewhere, the 10-15 years prior to that are at the expense of the US drug developer. Certainly a doctor or hospital may wait until the patent expires or hijack it and reproduce the product much cheaper.
As far as post-surgical care, I don't know what "covered" means - unless the patient is remaining in the country of care for months - and most of these stays are not covered for more than 10 days - the post surgical treatment must be handled by a US physician (for a US patient). If, in the course of post-surgical follow up, a problem develops that is traced to the hospitalization and surgery in a foreign country, how will the patient seek redress? I find it hard to believe that insurance companies who delay payment for a $100 doctor's visit are going to pay thousands in compensation to a patient who elected to be treated outside the country.