Fly-By Surgery

Will your insurance company soon be recommending a visit outside the United States for surgery?  Some carriers are already starting to reimburse for some treatments and surgeries out of the country and are buying in to the concept....BD 

When Doug Duke needed laparoscopic surgery, he knew he would be buying a plane ticket.
The former hospital administrator is a medical specialist whose Richmond company, Objective Review, helps trial attorneys locate top-notch physicians suitable for expert testimony. So he’s well aware of the medical landscape, its nuances — and its price tag.

And now there’s another unlikely group on board. The medical tourism industry is gaining a previously skittish ally in health insurance companies. Health insurers such as Aetna, Blue Cross Blue and Shield of South Carolina, Blue Shield of California and United Group Programs are beginning to reimburse some out-of-the-country treatments, and two state legislatures, in Colorado and West Virginia, have introduced bills to allow government employees to go overseas for surgery.

Even Canada, with surgical waiting lists that extend years into the future, is reimbursing its citizens who go overseas for medical procedures. 

“In many cases,” according to the report, “illness forced breadwinners to take time off from work — losing income and job-based health insurance precisely when families needed it most.”

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