Why is offshore health care cheaper?

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The number of patients who opt to travel outside the US to have their medical procedures done had been rising steadily because it’s more affordable. For instance, in the US, heart bypass surgeries can cost around $70,000 to $80,000 but in Asia, it’s priced at around $10,000 only. Saving money is the main reason why American patients are flying to countries like India, Thailand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Mexico for high-quality yet inexpensive medical care.

One might wonder how these hospitals can provide world-class health care at such low rates.

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An AlterNet article explains that the reason why US health care is more expensive is because most of the money paid for hospital bills go to insurance company bureaucracy, profits, high corporate salaries, advertising, and sales commissions, and hospitals are forced to maintain large billing and negotiating staff to deal with all of these. In addition, doctors and hospitals in the US carry expensive medical malpractice insurance policies in case they get sued. By contrast, the money of the patients getting treatment abroad goes to the surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other medical workers, making affordable and high-quality health care possible.

Steven Lash, president and CEO of Satori World Medical, the world’s first global healthcare network and service company, also asserts that, based on current projections, “rising healthcare costs will continue to increase over the next ten years and will continue to consume an increasingly greater portion of an individual’s personal income.” Because of this trend, alternative healthcare solutions, one of which is medical travel, are here to stay.

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 This website offers more information on medical travel.