America's health care problems could be solved through a collaboration of Asian Indians and American Indians. And a bus ride.
When I worked in finance, I had a generous health plan. Now I can’t afford to pay the state-subsidized annual insurance premium of $6,924 (six months’ rent) myself. Despite my good health, my appendix could become inflamed at any time. Appendix removal surgery costs an average of $33,000 (house down payment). Any medical problem that can’t be fixed with a pill could bankrupt me.
My friend Tikka exposed me to a more frugal solution. Tikka spends his days and limited money traveling Asia by foot or bicycle, and when he got a hernia, he flew to India to have it repaired. There he paid $300 (groceries for a month) for a surgery that would cost $29,880 (six acres of farmland) here. He was a medical tourist—a patient who travels abroad for cost-effective treatment for cancer, cosmetic surgery, or any large yet time-insensitive medical need. Some people travel to Belgium for hip replacement surgery, for example, because the same implant that is sold for $4,000 in Belgium can go for as much as $39,000 here. The savings are significant enough that U.S. citizens are willing to brave unfamiliar hospitals and recuperate from serious procedures away from their family and friends.
Of course, for some Americans, discounted foreign medical care is available close to home. San Diego residents can drive 20 minutes to Tijuana, Mexico, for 60 percent off tummy-tucks and cheap dental crowns. Some cross the border nursing broken bones. If the rest of the country were just an hour away from more affordable international care instead of a day’s flight from it, medical tourism would be feasible for not only time-insensitive health problems, but for emergencies and minor procedures....
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
