6 Million Americans will travel abroad for Health Care lower cost

[RamboLiberal]

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- "I was a walking time bomb. I knew I had to get on that plane if I wanted to be around to see my grandkids."

Sandra Giustina is a 61-year-old uninsured American. For three years she saved her money in hopes of affording heart surgery to correct her atrial fibrillation. "They (U.S. hospitals) told me it would be about $175,000, and there was just no way could I come up with that," Giustina said.

So, with a little digging online, she found several high quality hospitals vying for her business, at a fraction of the U.S. cost. Within a month, she was on a plane from her home in Las Vegas, Nevada, to New Delhi, India. Surgeons at Max Hospital fixed her heart for "under $10,000 total, including travel."

Giustina is just one of millions around the world journeying outside their native land for medical treatment, a phenomenon known as "medical tourism." Experts say the trend in global health care has just begun. Next year alone, an estimated 6 million Americans will travel abroad for surgery, according to a 2008 Deloitte study. "Medical care in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore can cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of comparable care in the United States," the report found.

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

Use this to counter the RW talking point about people coming from Canada, Europe, etc., for our 'great health care'.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. K&R

[Vinca]

2. We have the "greatest health care" only if you are the owner of a gold mine . . .

or a member of Congress.

[BattyDem]

3. The fact that the woman had to do that is a disgrace!

I'm glad she's healthy again. :-)

From the article:

"... major U.S. insurance companies are considering providing "medical tourism" coverage to their customers."

Oh great! So five years from now, her $10,000 surgery and trip will cost $110,000, thanks to U.S. insurance companies! :eyes:

[taught_me_patience]

4. I just visited Brumrungrad hospital in Bangkok

Damn... it's sweeter than anyting I've ever seen in the United States. 1/5-1/3 the cost too...

http://www.bumrungrad.com/

[chatnoir]

5. K&R

How shameful.

Planet Hospital's site is http://www.planethospital.com/

"No one should have to choose between an operation to save their life or going bankrupt."

As one vile commenter posted after an article about a local health clinic closing that saw both insured and non-insured irregardless of ability to pay:

"merrybee
3/26/2009 10:24:36 PM
If you don't have the money to pay why do you deserve the same level of treatment as those who can? My wife and I worked our tail off all our life so we can afford the better things in life. Why should those who didn't have the same level of things that we do? This is not fair."

UNBELIEVABLE.