August 1, 2006

COMPETITION IS GOOD:

Employers look abroad for workers' surgeries (Daniel Yi, 8/01/06, Los Angeles Times)

After going overseas to outsource everything from manufacturing to customer services, American businesses pressed by rising health-care costs are looking offshore for medical benefits as well.

A growing number of employers who fund their own health-insurance plans have begun looking into sending their ailing employees around the world for surgeries that in the U.S. would cost tens of thousands of dollars more.

Carl Garrett of Leicester, N.C., will fly to a state-of-the-art hospital in New Delhi in September for surgeries to remove gallstones and fix a rotator cuff. His employer, Blue Ridge Paper Products of Canton, N.C., will pay for it all, including airfare for Garrett and his fiancée. The company also will give Garrett a share of the expected savings, up to $10,000, when he returns.

"I think it is a great thing," the 60-year-old technician said. "Maybe it will drive down prices here in the U.S."

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 1, 2006 12:46 PM
Comments

Yes, and Mr. Garrett can train his replacement while he's there too!

But seriously, if MSAs end up driving this sort of thing, OJ, I'd fully expect the AMA, the Nurses, and a whole slew of HMO/PPOs to get together with their Congress buddies to kill MSAs.

Posted by: Brad S at August 1, 2006 2:12 PM

Well, at least Americans aren't going to go to Europe for health care.

Posted by: ratbert at August 1, 2006 2:21 PM

Nah, doctors would rather you pay them out of your own pocket and cut out the bureaucrats.

Posted by: oj at August 1, 2006 2:22 PM

In India, if you died after a surgery, that's that, tough luck, tell your family to claim your life insurance. In the US, if you had a broken toe after a successful life saving surgery, you sue the doctor, the hospital, and whatever you can put your greedy hands in.

Posted by: ic at August 1, 2006 2:24 PM

Europe is the Third World--that's why Airbus is dying.

Posted by: oj at August 1, 2006 2:25 PM

A doctor friend was telling me only yesterday that top students aren't going into medicine because the money's not there anymore. It's now very much more difficult to get into veterinary school than medical school. This where governmental meddling has gotten us, and yes, I want the smartest people to be doctors even if they're only doing it for the money. That's far better IMO than mediocre brains going into medicine to "help" people.

Posted by: erp at August 1, 2006 3:51 PM

erp:

As a graduate student, my wife TA'ed basic cell biology classes for pre-med students. She said that she could always distinguish them from the future veterinarians because the pre-meds would ask, after each point: "Is this going to be on the test?"

Posted by: Mike Earl at August 1, 2006 4:03 PM

Thats funny Mike Earl.

Posted by: marisarw at August 1, 2006 4:30 PM
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