Rising Costs in Healthcare Push More Americans Eastward

In Search of Affordable Healthcare

More and more Americans are heading towards countries like India for more than a dose of exotica and a taste of culture.  Thanks to rising costs in healthcare in their own country, an increasing number of Americans (many of whom are uninsured), are finding themselves with no choice but to trek Eastwards in search of more affordable healthcare treatment.  Some of the best hospitals for heart care in India, for instance, offer the most sophisticated cardiac procedures at a fraction of what one might have to pay Stateside.  The lack of access to affordable healthcare facilities in their country has also made many Americans bitter about a system that, they feel, has simply failed them.

Finding the Best Hospitals for Heart Care in India

When 57-year old Greg Goodall, an uninsured painter from Iowa, felt an odd tightness in his chest, he realized, with mounting dread, that he didn’t have the slightest chance of being able to afford the angiogram needed to detect the cause, let alone the coronary angioplasty that would be necessary to treat it.  Faced with fancy price tags that ranged from $4,000 to $29,000 for just the angiogram in his home country, Goodall decided to head off to the Max Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi, India for a coronary angioplasty.  The entire trip, including travel, stay, and a long awaited visit to the Taj Mahal, set the ever-optimistic Goodall back by $16,500.  Although the family did experience a few setbacks like bouts of diarrhea – affectionately known as “Delhi Belly” - they have no regrets and nothing but praise for the hospital (one of the best hospitals for heart care in India) and its staff.

Rising Costs in Healthcare in the US: A Growing Concern

As increasing numbers of Americans, let down by a stagnant healthcare system in their country, flock to foreign hospitals, there is concern over the sense of bitterness and discontent that seems to be brewing.  As Rick Theus, who recently made a trip to India for a more affordable healthcare option in hip surgery, says, “I was so let down by my HMO.  I’ve paid thousands of dollars in premiums over the years.  It’s their job to look after me.”

Source: Margie Mason, “Medical Tourists Head Oversees to Save Big Bucks,” The Nashua Telegraph, November 26, 2006