Planet Hospital Lures Patients Who Want to Save on Medical Care

Prices drive sick people to other countries

A new type of business has sprung up as uninsured Americans desperately try to find ways to afford the medical care they need. Planet Hospital and other firms like it aid people with medical travel planning.

They are like travel agents, but the purpose of the trip is to get a specific medical procedure at the best price. In another country.

Plight of the uninsured

Sandra Giustina is a good example of how this can help people in need of medical care. She needed surgery for an atrial fibrillation. She lives in Las Vegas, and the going rate for the procedure at U.S. hospitals was about $175,000. She knew she couldn’t come up with that kind of money and would never be able to pay off a personal loan in that amount.

She started looking into how much the procedure would cost in other countries. She was able to get the surgery she needed for less than $10,000, including travel costs, in India.

A growing trend

Experts say 6 million Americans will leave the country for the purpose of medical procedures next year.

“Medical care in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore can cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of comparable care in the United States,” according to a 2008 Deloitte study. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Planet Hospital Lures Patients Who Want to Save on Medical Care"