This opinion article is about medical tourism, which is not slowing down at all. With more people going bankrupt over medical bills, is there a choice when the price difference is so large? Certainly medicine is a captive market as we all need medical care, but some areas offer options if not urgent.
Hospitals are going bankrupt too, physicians are closing small practices to join larger groups to stay in business and there's a looming shortage of primary care MDs today and even a bigger shortage predicted for the future. The present system certainly is not making anyone very happy these days. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens after the election at this point as nobody wants to touch the ticking bomb, and that it is. BD
Is "medical tourism" Americans' going abroad for cheaper treatments good or bad? The answer is "yes." It's both. But one thing is for sure: Medical tourism is here to stay. A new study by the Deloitte consulting firm forecasts that the number of Americans going abroad for care, 750,000 last year, will explode to 10 million by 2012.
Two top-notch American medical centers — Mayo and Johns Hopkins — have established their own operations in the Mideast and Asia. And Christus Health, a large Catholic nonprofit based in Texas, now owns six hospitals in northern Mexico.
Opinion | Medicine through the back door | Seattle Times Newspaper
It's nothing new. Medical "tourism" was present also in ancient times, when rich people traveled to meet famous doctors. Today it's only getting affordable for bigger masses. I think it's good - why not to open competition in health care products?? I am selling health insurance with life insurance in Canada and it happened many times, that we had to send patients to USA, or that USA or Europe citizens seek for treatment in Caribbean or south America...
ReplyDeleteLorne