Three American doctors have an op-ed piece in today's New York Times about "medical tourism" in which Americans go abroad for surgery that costs less than it would in America. The implication is that foreign countries may be delivering medical treatment more efficiently than America does. One point omitted by the article, however, is that medical tourism runs in both directions; foreigners who can afford to do so often come to America for what they think is the highest quality treatment. The Times itself noticed this in a front-page news article back in 2001, though it framed the matter in terms of American hospitals seeking high-paying patients from abroad; the Jacksonville Business Journal had an article in 2006 reporting that in the previous year, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville had treated "about 1,400 foreign patients from roughly 95 countries." Thinking about health care not only in terms of cost but also in terms of quality is going to be an important part of the debate as the Obama administration presses for changes that would give the government a bigger role in the health care system.
Medical Tourism
https://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2009/06/medical-tourism
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