What are the real savings in medical tourism?
by David Williams
When I asked, “What questions should health plans and employers be asking about medical tourism?” one of the questions was: “How much am I likely to save and how can I increase that number?”Now Michael D. Horowitz, MD, MBA has presented his analysis at MedTripInfo, comparing the cost of hip replacement in the US, Costa Rica and India. I was surprised by the extent of the savings he found.
It’s sparked a couple of new questions for me:
- How much of the savings is attributable to the device itself?
- Will US physicians become more flexible in negotiations with self-pay patients when they understand that there are credible international alternatives?
