FYI: Cost of a Heart Attack in Thailand

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just_Steve So my question is, If US insurance companies are trying to squeeze the last penny out of a dollar, why won't most pay for less costly overseas treatment?

My guess is it's a reputational risk issue. If there's a bad outcome, which happens even to good doctors, or the patient develops an embolism on the flight home and dies, it's all because the Evil Insurance Company "outsourced" the poor person's care to lower-cost providers.

I've heard of employers whose health care is largely self-funded (with some Excess coverage for major claims) offering the foreign option, frequently with a cash bonus to the patient. You still have to tread carefully since lower-paid employees are more likely to accept that incentive. Then if things go wrong it's the Evil Employer exploiting the worker.

[Just_Steve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 My guess is it's a reputational risk issue. If there's a bad outcome, which happens even to good doctors, or the patient develops an embolism on the flight home and dies, it's all because the Evil Insurance Company "outsourced" the poor person's care to lower-cost providers. I've heard of employers whose health care is largely self-funded (with some Excess coverage for major claims) offering the foreign option, frequently with a cash bonus to the patient. You still have to tread carefully since lower-paid employees are more likely to accept that incentive. Then if things go wrong it's the Evil Employer exploiting the worker.

LOL, "Evil insurance company" and "Evil employer"

What got me thinking about this was the threads about living or traveling abroad. I started reading my plan, most of it is related to emergency or urgent care. Then it says if you plan on living outside of US to call. I know with the makeup of the workforce where I worked I would have to say 30% are retiring to their home country.

[Options]

Heart surgery also entails psychological and emotional stressors in addition to those physical and financial, as detailed here:

For Many, Life After Heart Surgery Is Surprisingly Hard - WSJ

Quote:

“Cardiac surgery is not just a physical thing, but a big stressor on cognitive function, psychological health, and overall health, and it distresses your social and personal environment as well,” says study co-author James L. Rudolph, associate professor at Brown University’s medical school and director of the Center of Innovation in Long-Term Services and Supports at the Providence VA Medical Center, in Rhode Island. “Medicine doesn’t do a good job of taking some of those things into account.”

Actionable takeaway might be to ensure one's support system are thoroughly considered and lined up beforehand.