Did you know that over 47 million people have no medical insurance in the United States? Yes, 47 million people! The entire United States population is estimated at close to 300 million people. To give you a perspective of that number – it is more than the estimated aggregate populations of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina. The number of people without dental insurance is estimated at 120 million. And, we have not started to talk about the under insured of our population. But I suppose these numbers will do. They are so large that it’s hard enough for most of us to grasp anyway.
When we talk about the uninsured many think that we are talking about the poorest of poor in our country. And while that is partially true, it does not make up the majority. Approximately 80% of the United States is made up of small to medium size enterprises or businesses – called SME’s. Many of these SME’s can not afford the cost of providing insurance coverage to their employees any more than the employees can cover the cost of premiums on their own. Many of these uninsured and underinsured are the working population, the retired, the elderly, those on fixed incomes, single parents, and yes, the working poor. But these folks are not the only people who can not afford medical and dental insurance. The owners of the SME’s can not afford insurance for their own families as they struggle to compete in today’s increasingly competitive global market. Even people who have jobs that help cover some of the cost of insurance premiums find they are being asked to assume more and more of the cost yearly. Even big business is struggling under the cost of health insurance in the United States.
Increasing medical costs and decreasing health benefits, is taking a heavy toll on those with either no insurance or a limited coverage. At an age when health benefits are most sought, people struggle to stay healthy instead, for fear of rising medical bills. But an accident or a major illness can completely wipe out a lifetime of savings and quickly put either a person or a business into bankruptcy. We also increasingly see in the news of large health insurance providers systematically dropping those who have paid their premiums religiously just when they need it the most. For a business it’s difficult to hire and then keep good employees when they are seeking medical and dental benefits for their family.
I guess all of us can see why this problem has been given so much coverage in politics today. And while it is a worthy banner to fly at election time – it is one illness that is going to be very hard to cure. And if there is a cure it will be slow arriving.
One of those SME’s of the Tennessee is addressing this issue of health care for businesses and individuals alike. Global Health Care Facilitators (GlobalHCF) of Nashville and Cookeville Tennessee have for the past year been trying to help businesses and individuals obtain medical and dental care for at realistic and affordable prices.
An interview with Dr. Bill Thomas explained the practice and interest that global health care facilitating is producing. He explains that global travel to receive the best medical has been around for centuries. Many people travel to Canada, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. to receive top level medical and dental care. People in Tennessee have no problems going to Vanderbilt in Nashville or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Of course these hospitals come with a high price. Even a trip to a local hospital can easily cost upwards of $60,000 for a 3-4 day stay. Medical tourism offers another alternative.
Dr. Thomas explains, “Medical tourism companies like GlobalHCF have contracts with most of the world renowned Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals and physicians worldwide.” He further explains that JCI is the accrediting body for international hospitals similar to what JCAHO is for U.S. hospitals. The primary difference is that the cost is up to 70-80% less than here in the United States.
In a recent procedure, Dr. Thomas explains that a “Birmingham Resurfacing Procedure” which costs approximately $65,000 in Nashville was done for a total of $7500 at the world class Wockhardt hospital in India. Recently a lady had breast augmentation for a total of $2200. This is not unusual. He can tell you of procedures ranging from drug addiction assistance to heart surgery where in every case the cost was a fraction of what it would cost in the Unites States.
“Everyone read the front page of the Tennessean recently which discussed this current trend in businesses and individuals alike” he said. In fact search of the internet also shows several very positive documentaries from CBS, FOX, NBC and 20/20 concerning this practice. In fact this author had difficulty finding someone who had a negative experience with this process. Dr Thomas attributes that to the “increased standards of care a person receives at these hospitals”. Almost all of the hospitals literally cater to the foreign visitor like a dignitary. They are offered the very best care as they know their reputation depends on what is brought back to the U.S. So many people are taking vacations and getting treatment in the medical tourism that it’s difficult to move fast enough. It is very important that the client talk with the doctor about their procedure, that the doctor reviews the files of the patient and that the patient checks out the hospital and physician thoroughly.
Businesses have seen a huge potential with their service. The most reliable medical tourism companies are able to offer what amounts to major medical coverage for some procedures at a fraction of the cost of current medical costs. Small businesses are signing up with companies like GlobalHCF to provide coverage for their employees and owners alike. Dr. Thomas stated that “It’s like having coverage and your premiums never leaving your own pocket. We take care of all the paperwork for the company and individual and lead clients all the way through the process. We are definitely a value added process to any company’s benefit package and employee retention program.”
Dr. Thomas, a seasoned traveler himself says that though life-saving medical procedures like heart surgeries, cancer treatment and elective surgeries like dental implants and cosmetic surgery cost are less than the costs of a procedure in the US, it is not because of a lack of expertise. The industry see’s it as rather a lack of malpractice suits and high administrative costs, which has crippled the health industry here. A surgery which would cost 50,000 dollars and above here in hospital charges alone can be performed for as less as 10,000 dollars all inclusive of medical costs, plane fare and a holiday package, a realistic amount which can be put together with savings and loans. While medical and dental care in the U.S. is overall excellent, the U.S. does not have a monopoly on great physicians or hospitals. Many of the physicians in these foreign hospitals have received the very same training as U.S. physicians, in the very same universities, and then went home to practice their craft.
Countries like India which are actively promoting medical tourism are increasingly seeking JCI certification, to instill faith in the medical tourists coming to them, very well realizing that the publicity generated by one surgery could de-rail a burgeoning industry, expected to jump 30 percent every year. Besides the hospitals equipped with the latest medically advanced diagnostic equipments, Indian pharmaceutical companies also meet stringent requirements of the US Food and Drug administration. Medical advancements have meant that Indian doctors can now perform the hip re-surfacing surgery among others where the damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with chrome alloy, an operation which costs less and causes less post-operative trauma than the traditional hip replacement procedure done in the US. Recently, Tourette’s disease has produced a high number of people looking for the latest in curative techniques.
To those who refuse to believe that anything could surpass the medical treatment available here in the US, there are statistics to show that the doctors in these developing countries, have far more expertise and a higher success rate in handling complicated life-saving surgeries, than the doctors here in the US, thanks just to the sheer volume of surgeries they handle on a daily basis. Besides in most cases, treatment here in the US is hardly an option for those with little or no insurance. In such a scenario, if traveling to an exotic destination would mean that they can be healed and lead a productive life post-surgery, instead of wasting away for want of expensive, medical care, then it certainly seems worth taking that one chance.
T.J. Hall is an advocate for people without insurance or have insurance that does not cover them properly. Ms. Hall has been outspoken in helping small and medium size businesses obtain creative ways to have some kind of medical care for their employees. Ms. Hall is sought after to help find assistance for people who need new or experimental surgeries. She lives in Tennessee and has traveled extensively to review various countries to observe their medical systems and their standards.
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