More Americans Seeking Surgery Abroad... (medical refugees)

[RedEarth]

More Americans Seeking Surgery Abroad

High Costs in U.S. Is Driving Some Patients to Seek Treatment in India and Elsewhere By Rick Ansorge
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Oct. 18, 2006 -- Dismayed by high surgical costs in the U.S., increasing numbers of American patients are packing their bags to have necessary surgery performed in countries such as India, Thailand, and Singapore.

"This is not what is sometimes snootily referred to as 'medical tourism,' in which people go abroad for elective plastic surgery," says Mark D. Smith, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer of the California HealthCare Foundation in Oakland.

Today's "medical refugees," the term Smith uses in an article published in the Oct. 19 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, are going to foreign countries for lifesaving procedures such as coronary bypass surgery and heart valve replacement, and also life-enhancing procedures such as hip and knee replacementknee replacement.

"People are desperate," Smith tells WebMD. "This illustrates the growing unaffordability of the U.S. health care system, even to people who are by no means indigent."

The report by Smith and his colleague, Arnold Milstein, MD, MPH, documents the case of a self-employed carpenter who couldn't afford private health insurance and would have faced financial ruin if he had surgery in the U.S. It also shows how some insured workers are being steered toward receiving less-expensive procedures outside the U.S.

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/128/117165?printing=true

[OhioChick]

1. Outsourcing healthcare now...

I see no problem with this if this is what a person "chooses." (Although, I think that we should fix our broken healthcare system now.) However, I am 100% against mandating that people/workers go overseas for medical treatment.

[sandnsea]

4. Chooses?

I think most people would 'choose' the best doctor and hospital available. Saying one 'chooses' medical care in a third world country is like saying one 'chooses' the soup kitchen over salmon and salad.

[OhioChick]

7. You're right.

One would "choose" the best hospital and doctor available HERE. I don't think that I made myself clear in what I meant by the word "chooses." Let's say hypothetically speaking, a person has absolutely no healthcare coverage in the US and desperately needs some type of lifesaving surgery that will likely run into the tens or quite possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars. They have two choices........sit here and wait around to die, or take advantage of going to another country where they could quite possibly have their surgery done at a fraction of the cost...and maybe even be able to afford it.

My point being.......If one cannot afford the salmon and salad, the soup kitchen may quite possibly be their only choice if they want to live.

The bottom line is that the US needs to fix the healthcare system here.....yesterday.

[SharonAnn]

14. There is no "tens of thousands". It's "hundreds of thousands" for

life-saving surgeries like you're describing.

I had severe chest pain, called 9-1-1, ambulance, diagnostics in the hospital, nothing apparent, sent home, back for heart catheterization two days later, no problems found, cause of severe chest pain unknown.

So far the bill is over $25,000.

I appreciate the high quality of care, diagnostics, and availability of care but I'd be bankrupt if I didn't have health insurance. As it is, my deductible is $2,500.

[OhioChick]

15. I hear you.......

Having a chronically ill child, who needs weekly medical treatment. Even though I have health insurance, the out of pocket costs are killing me. Having health insurance isn't even a guarantee that you won't go bankrupt anymore.

[madrchsod]

2. it cost me 16,000 dollars for a one night stay in icu

and a stress test......16,000 fucking dollars..i`ll never be able to pay this off in my lifetime. i`d gladly fly overseas to have a stress test that would cost me less than the 4000 dollars it cost me here in the states.
since my heart problems started i`ve had one american born heart doctor, three have been from the jordan,pakistan,and india ,two from iceland and england.

[physioex]

3. I hear ya....

I had out patient surgery and was in the hospital for three hours (waiting, prep, etc) with surgery lasting FIFTEEN minutes that cost $4K. Luckily insurance covered most, but the prices are way too ridiculous.

[Warpy]

5. The prices are correct

Unfortunately what is not correct is your earning capacity.

Healthcare and housing are two industries that are 100% US made and operated (although medications are increasingly made elsewwhere). Inflation in these two areas are the real inflation rate, not an inflation rate that has been artificially lowered by overseas labor producing cheaper consumer goods.

You are being robbed with every paycheck you get, and it's not the mean ole gummint that has been doing the robbing, although they've made sure the market basket of diminished expectations has kept the official inflation rate laughably low.

[LostinVA]

6. I need dental work done

It would be about $6,000 or so here -- WITH my insurance. I can go to Costa Rica, get it done in a modern dental office by an American-trained dentist, whose clientele are expat Americans, for about $400. Plus a flight and three days worth of hotels, etc. WAY less than $6,500.

I'm thinking about doing this...

[sandnsea]

8. Do tell

I need dental work too, I just haven't found a place I trust at prices that were cheap enough to consider. Very interested. I have to do something soon.

[SoCalDem]

9. DO it.. and in between appointments, you get a vacation

in a lovely place..

I know people who routinely go to Mexico for dental work :)

[LostinVA]

12. My Dad goes there about once a month on business

And, he had to have an emergency crown put on down there a few months ago. The cost? $40. That's it.

[Red State Rebel]

11. I've been doing research, here is a place to start....

http://www.dentalinstitutecr.com/flikier.html

This is who I plan to use. There is a website called PlasticSurgeryJourneys.com where people discuss out of country plastic surgery - a lot of good information there.

The above dentist has had good recommendations from other American patients.

[LostinVA]

13. Great! Thanks!

[Red State Rebel]

10. I went to Mexico for Surgery Last Year

I had done a LOT of research - this surgeon was more experienced in this procedure than a lot who do it in the states and the cost was $11,000 compared to $35,000 to $55,000.

The hospital was beautiful and modern, the surgeon and his associates were fantastic and the care I received was wonderful. I had zero problems, returned to the states and couldn't be happier with the experience.