Money Saving Tip: Go Overseas for Major Medical Procedures and Operations

Here's an interesting money saving tip if I've ever seen one. It's from a Money Central piece that details a company that allows its employees to go overseas for medical care. How much can they save? Here's one example:

Garrett's medical care alone may save the company $50,000. And instead of winding up $20,000 in debt to have the operations in the U.S., he may now get up to $10,000 back as a share of the savings. He'll also get to see the Taj Mahal as part of a two-day tour before the surgery.

His two operations could cost $100,000 in the U.S.; they'll run about $20,000 in India.

I know, I know. You're probably thinking the same thing I am -- is this really safe? After all, we are talking about my life! Is it worth the risk? Well, let's be clear, there are risks:

Critics say that limited malpractice laws in foreign countries make such travel risky as does as the prospect of spending 20 hours on an airplane after invasive surgery.

However, U.S. care is expensive and not everyone can afford it:

The average American hospital bill was $6,280 in 2004, twice that of other Western countries, according to the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) in Washington.

And the foreign hospitals are not only cost-effective, but attractive:

In New Delhi, for example, the Apollo chain of hospitals gives resort-style convalescence care for $87 a night.

Garrett, meanwhile, anticipates movie-star treatment in India. Doctors will operate on his gall bladder and left shoulder, he says, and he will have a 24-hour nurse working only for him while he's recovering.

I saw footage of these Indian hospitals on a news report recently and they were gorgeous. The place looked like a Trump hotel. And they had all the comforts we lack in the U.S. (at least for us common folk) -- large private rooms (more like suites really), individualized attention, etc. It looked like a nice place to just visit on vacation -- didn't look like a hospital at all.

The issue for me would be the level of care -- is it as good as that in the U.S.? While our health care is good, I don't think we have a monopoly on it, nor do I think we're the best medical system out there. (Though I could be wrong.) But really, is India better? I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything saying it is or isn't. It's probably too new of an idea to have much data either way.

So add this to the money saving tips list -- get medical care overseas. In fact, save even more by moving to a foreign country!

Comments

[Blaine Moore (First Time Homeowner)]

Your mileage may vary widely depending upon where you go, but in most cases you will have American trained doctors that just happen to be from a foreign country and who returned home after finishing their education and internships.

[SB]

The moneycentral article missed the punchline about Garrett's story:
"Local leaders at United Steelworkers, Garrett's union, voiced loud objections to the trip. At the last minute, Blue Ridge Paper told him it was off."
This is from a piece I heard on radio recently.
Here is the link
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/09/13/PM200609137.html

[Steve Mertz]

Did you steal this idea from Flexo :)http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2006/09/13/would-you-travel-overseas-for-cheap-surgery/

[FMF]

Steve --

Ha! I actually posted on it first -- it's just that my post was put into a "future post" setting to hit today. ;-)

That said, Flexo is my hero. (Other than Nickel...and Jim)

[Foobarista]

Nice. Would the union rather have healthcare outsourced to India, or have the whole mill offshored to China? Or maybe door number three: let the company die because it can't compete...

[Prasanth]

Hi,

I'm a reader from India. My comment on this post is a bit late - however, i would like to answer your question about medical care in India. In India, the quality of care you get vary widely depending on where you go to. If you go to a hospital run by the government, it is free but the quality is not so good. If you go to the top rung private hospitals, then the quality is as good as anywhere else in the world. Most of the hospitals that cater to foreign nationals are very good and dependable. Leading ones are getting certified by JCI so that people coming from US can actually claim their expenses from insurance companies back in the US. For the hospitals, it's good revenue.

Regards,

Prasanth

[mel]

The only caution I have is that my husband is a Dental Lab Technician. He makes crowns and bridges. He says that when a crown is placed, the fit has to be good and if not, leaks under the crown can cause decay. This is where the technician and dentist have to BOTH do their job well or the results are not good. We know several people who have gone to mexico and had 10-20 crowns done at a fraction of the cost of the U.S. One person in particular (this is not isolated) lost all of those teeth 5 years later and had to have a denture put in. So I would say do your research well and make sure it is a clinic that others have had good luck with if you are going to have dental work done in Mexico (I don't know about other countries).