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This is still in a small percentage of cases to be sure - but the numbers have been growing rapidly - and now more Americans travel abroad for their health care than foriegners come here for their health care.
Those Americans are heading overseas because of the much lower costs to be found there - and now some insurance companies are starting to actually encourage it.
"...the insurance industry's embrace of overseas care has had a pleasant side effect at home: some U.S. care providers are offering price breaks to counter the foreign competition."
This is still in a small percentage of cases to be sure - but the numbers have been growing rapidly - and now more Americans travel abroad for their health care than foriegners come here for their health care.
Those Americans are heading overseas because of the much lower costs to be found there - and now some insurance companies are starting to actually encourage it.
"...the insurance industry's embrace of overseas care has had a pleasant side effect at home: some U.S. care providers are offering price breaks to counter the foreign competition."
India is the up and coming place to go for medical treatment if you live in a socialized medicine country. They have state of the art equipment and the doctors are well trained.
Yeah I remember someone having a thread about this.
If people have the money to go abroad, more power to them.
At the same time, I don't see why insurance companies here can't negotiate more often for lower rates for certain procedures.
How can insurers negotiate for lower rates when the overhead for doctors continues to rise? In 1988 I paid $19.00 for a case of copy paper. I now can get a case on sale for $34.99. Medical office rent is ridiculous. We pay over $3200 a month for 1850 square feet.
India is the up and coming place to go for medical treatment if you live in a socialized medicine country. They have state of the art equipment and the doctors are well trained.
Yup.
India, Thailand, Costa Rica - all these places have state of the art medical facilities where world class doctors use world class techniques.
The US is not alone in having good doctors and hospitals.
So the question is - how much can outsourcing these jobs help to drive down costs here in the US (and what are the disadvantages (if any) of doing so)?
So the question is - how much can outsourcing these jobs help to drive down costs here in the US (and what are the disadvantages (if any) of doing so)?
Ken
Outsourcing these jobs will not drive costs down in the United States. Overhead costs in the US continue to rise for doctors.
If I were an insurance executive, I would aggressively sign deals with foreign medical services, and provide cost incentives for patients to go overseas. It makes economic sense.
If I were an insurance executive, I would aggressively sign deals with foreign medical services, and provide cost incentives for patients to go overseas. It makes economic sense.
Interesting. As an insurance company executive would you pay for the airfare for the patient and a medically necessary family member attendant? I assume you would pay for the lodging for the family member in addition to the medical care for the patient.
As an insurance company executive would you pay for the airfare for the patient and a medically necessary family member attendant? I assume you would pay for the lodging for the family member in addition to the medical care for the patient.
Probably not. I would pay what I could get away with. Remember, as the manager of a corporation, my first and most important loyalty is to shareholders - not clients.
Interesting. As an insurance company executive would you pay for the airfare for the patient and a medically necessary family member attendant? I assume you would pay for the lodging for the family member in addition to the medical care for the patient.
Ha..yes, some insurers have pilot programs where they pay your way over there. The 4 largest insurers have this program. It's even got a name.."medical tourism".
The article says insurers are saving up to 90% of the cost compared to a US based surgery (bypass for example).
Health insurers explore savings in overseas care - Business | Reflector.com (http://www.reflector.com/business/health-insurers-explore-savings-in-overseas-care-790971.html - broken link)
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