Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
A recent article in the NY Times highlighted the difference in costs between health care in the USA and health care in Europe. Here is a quote about a fellow who had to pay for his own hip replacement:
This has got me thinking. Why couldn't American health insurance companies offer this as an alternative to surgery in the USA for appropriate medical problems? Even tossing in an extra $10,000 for a partner to accompany the person and a week or two of rent on an apartment, the costs would be far cheaper. The insurance company, could reward the individual for having overseas surgery by giving them a discounted insurance rate for a certain number of years, or waiving deductibles and co-pays. They would also have to guarantee to pay for normal follow up visits in the USA as well as care for any complications. Still, one would think the insurance company would come out ahead in the long run. This seems to simple. What am I missing?
.Michael Shopenn’s surgery in 2007 would have cost close to $100,000 in the United States. But it cost just $13,660 — including all medicine, doctors’ fees and round-trip airfare — at a private hospital in Torhout, Belgium
This has got me thinking. Why couldn't American health insurance companies offer this as an alternative to surgery in the USA for appropriate medical problems? Even tossing in an extra $10,000 for a partner to accompany the person and a week or two of rent on an apartment, the costs would be far cheaper. The insurance company, could reward the individual for having overseas surgery by giving them a discounted insurance rate for a certain number of years, or waiving deductibles and co-pays. They would also have to guarantee to pay for normal follow up visits in the USA as well as care for any complications. Still, one would think the insurance company would come out ahead in the long run. This seems to simple. What am I missing?