To address John R. Graham’s comment, above, about an adoption of medical tourism in the employee group benefits market:

Insured Medical Tourism benefits are offered by Plan Benefit Services, Inc, of Columbia, SC, the innovator in creating medical tourism programs for the self-funded employer market. These specialists in group insurance developed an immensely cost-effective International PPO plan available to self-funded employers throughout the US. Their International PPO plans help employers mitigate their extraordinary medical expenses and present impressive financial rewards and savings for the employees.

The insured offshore healthcare benefits amount to $Billions in cumulative savings for consumers, employees, employers, insurance carriers, and the US medical community (patient payment defaults).

Global health travel will never replace regional hospitals and providers, but it offers much needed options as well as distinct financial and treatment advantages.

US dental insurance coverage continues to lag behind rising dental care cost, still capping benefits at $1,000 to a max of $2,000 annually. Accredited dentist in Costa Rica offer affordable solutions. Patients requiring extensive dental procedures (caps, implants, etc) can save thousands of dollars (even calculating travel expenses) and enjoy a nice vacation, too. Yet, these same globe-trotting patients are not expected to forgo their regional dentist.

We need to simplify and standardize all senior plans. We also need to regain control of excess charges relating to part B Medicare. Balanced Billing has silently been circumvented and all plan Fs are not really valid anymore because providers are [again] allowed to charge above 15 % of Medicare allowable amount.

We [senior advocates] are losing ground and senior citizens are again being pushed deeper and deeper into the dark black hole of financial and POLITICAL greed. Senior citizens that have been paying into a program since 1966 are being tricked by their government and insurance and drug companies into signing themselves OUT of this program that they have paid 7 1/2 % of every dollar they have ever earned into.

Some Medicare Advantage plan insurance companies receive over $15,000 a year of taxpayer dollars for every senior they can enroll and then provide medical care based on rationing. Sales people promise everything including a trip to Disney if they will join and then the seniors are denied test and care. You tell me if you think this is REALLY the AMERICAN WAY.

“Bob” is quite right that the pre-payed care, employer-based U.S. model of health insurance inhibits the adoption of effective medical tourism. However, an innovative insurer could overcome this, even in the employer-based market, by abandoning its network contracts and simply maintaining a list of credentialled facilities. (I’ll leave unresolved the question of who does the credentialling for now.) The insurer would publish a schedule of allowances, from which it would “split the difference” with the patient, whom it would free to choose the most appropriate provider.