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Forced to Travel for Medical Attention?

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Forced to Travel Abroad for Medical Attention?

By Kaleel.tvp@gmail.com

Interesting response to our Medical Tourism Blog from Adam who pointed out that dental treatment in many East European countries is very much cheaper than equivalent treatment here in the States. And Adam assures that the dentists or oral surgeons are as qualified as their US counterparts.

We don’t doubt it.

One article in Wired Magazine went into the topic in depth.

What really struck a nerve with many people was the observation that medical procedures abroad (India, Thailand, East Europe) are so much cheaper than equivalent medical treatment in the States, that insurance companies may require their clients to go abroad for certain medical procedures.

Now that’s provocative!

But think about it. If a hip replacement or coronary bypass procedure costs the insurance company several thousands of dollars less out of pocket, why wouldn’t the insurance company come up with two-tiered list of payments: One In Network and one Out of Network…

Except the “In Network” health care provider is abroad! And India is the leading provider of foreign medical treatment, and has posted a 21% increase in tourism.

Coincidence?

So, one has a choice. But not really.

Far fetched?

Maybe. But if people are traveling anyway, and they are, stopping off for a hip operation overseas, it not only saves the travelers and the insurance company money, but could pay for the trip.

Would that be the insurance company’s argument: see the Taj Mahal and get a new heart valve?

Or else??

 

Subscribe to comments feed Comments (4 posted):

axismedicaltravel.com on 08 July, 2009
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Insurance providers are now slowly recognizing medical travel as a way to reduce their costs.

With some convincing, you can get your health insurance company to pay for flights and medical procedure expenses. The trick is to prove that it makes financial sense for the insurance company.

It really depends on the insurance provider though. Some are more open to hearing your arguments (eg. BCBS) and some just don't want to consider medicine abroad.
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Li on 28 June, 2009
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More and more employers are investigating Medical Tourism as a way to shave significant money off their expenses for health benefits, but we're increasingly asked about quality of care...The main thing an employer/benefits manager MUST do is careful research on companies that provide them with facilitation services. A reputable facilitator, like http://www.worldmedassist.com will assess the doctors and hospitals allowed into their network with extreme care, looking for those with US-like accreditation, board-certified doctors, state-of-the-art facilities, intense focus on patient care and satisfaction levels...and so forth. Visit WorldMed Assist to learn more about this: http://www.worldmedassist.com/employers/medical-tourism-for-employers.htm. The potential to expand employee options while employers save money doesn't come along very often during a downturn like this.
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TVP on 09 June, 2009
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Thanks for your comment, Kyle! I think the idea of insurance companies deciding that certain procedures must be performed overseas to be considered in-network discount or maybe even for coverage is not so far fetched, given the astonishing cost of health care and procedures in this country. Perhaps, however,if health care reform comes as promised, this scenario will be far fetched.
Again, thanks for writing!
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Kyle on 08 June, 2009
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While I find the idea of being forced to travel to receive medical care very scary; in fact, when I do travel, I always try to be aware of the nearest, best quality hospital with English speaking doctors. I don't find that scary at all, it just makes me more confident about where I'm going with my family.

We do love to travel. I guess if I had an opportunity to travel somewhere on the insurance company's credit, I would be delighted.

If I could research the local medical care the way I do anyway, then there shouldn't be any fear about having a medical procedure done in a foreign country. But having said that, it still sounds daunting!

otoh, my girlfriend had some cosmetic botox work done on a vacation in Venezuela. It was 1/10th the price it costs in the US and she came home looking great.
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