US Employers health insurance sending overseas

[Dennis S]

Did you ever think your employers health care plan would include a trip to India?

Checkout http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fi-outsource30jul30,1,736228.story

Personally, I would sure be open to this possibility.

 

[Ross]

Those companies that can afford to do so, yes. Would I be open to it?
Nope= Patients have little or no legal recourse in medical malpractice cases because of relatively weak patient-protection laws in such countries as India and Thailand, popular surgery destinations among Americans. And U.S. medical organizations and government agencies do not oversee foreign facilities.

 

[Dennis S]

Yes, but---

Yes, but---

I would be interested to hear about the experience of our non-US members as far as claims against medical providors for alleged negligence. I am wondering if our system isn't very unusual in this regard. I think a lot of things are going to have to change in the way we pay for medical services in the future. Our system has to be changed because, even as a relatively rich nation, we cannot afford to continue with the present system.

Medical insurance premiums continue to have double digit increases, and at the same time deductibles are increasing even faster. Despite these dramatic increases, many of our medical providors are finding the practice of medicine to be marked by decreasing income and ever increasing stress.

I think we still have a little time before the whole thing implodes, but we are going to need a paradigm shift if our children and grand-children are to be able to experience the kind of health care that my generation has taken for granted.

 

[Ross]

I'm not even sure if "little time" is accurate. At the rate this whole thing is rising, It's likely to implode very very soon.

 

[OldManEmu]

Vfm

Vfm

Value for money, I always struggle to understand how the US can spend 15% of GDP on health costs and yet have a lower life expectancy that Australia that spends 10% of GDP on health. This is 50% more. US life expectancy https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html Australian life expectancy https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html It appears that US medical costs are greatly in excess of other western countries from members posts and others sources I have read, where does the money go.

 

[hensylee]

where does the $ go? We don't know for sure, I guess. Our hospital costs are always on the increase, as are doctors' visits and medicine. My supplemental insurance per month went up from 150.75 to 173.33 on Aug 1st. My insurance per year is over 3000 but it's cheap compared to many Americans, because I have Medicare. I was in the hospital early this year and while in the hospital a single aspirin was $15.00! Highway robbery. Many Americans cannot afford medical insurance at all. There are clinics around but you have to be really poor to take advantage of them. Something will have to give, but we have been saying that for years.