# outsourcing health care **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 2, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872 "2006-11-02T18:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/1 "2006-11-02T18:10:20Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap\_on\_he\_me/outsourcing\_health\_2](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061102/ap_on_he_me/outsourcing_health_2) Companies are starting to consider shipping operations overseas to save health costs. The cost of medical care has been skyrocketing in the USA but is much cheaper abroad. Outsourcing ,does it have any limits?You can go to India get an operation and enjoy a vacation and still be cheaoer than USA medical system… ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/2 "2006-11-02T19:49:54Z")
Well, if it turns out after your rhinoplasty you have nostrils in your elbow, what recourse do you have? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/3 "2006-11-02T20:34:46Z")
Nostrils in your elbow? What planet do you imagine outasourcing medical care to? Bajor? ---
**Author:** ![bucknut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@bucknut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucknut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/4 "2006-11-02T20:55:48Z")
Not to disparage the Indian medical care community, but I think most Americans would prefer their doctors to be accredited by American licensing programs. Say what you will about the many inefficiencies and cost problems about our “system,” but our doctors are on the whole very good. Most people would not want to take their chances, at least with major operations, by going to doctors or surgeons who might not have had to pass the same training and testing requirements as American doctors (or those of many other Western nations). ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/5 "2006-11-02T20:56:27Z")
Well, obviously I’m arguing somewhat facetiously, but the point is I’m not sure how easily the American medical consumer can embrace the “outsourcing” of their care to the 3rd World, and issues related to quality and liability will certainly play into that, deservedly or not. It’s not just about how cheap the care is, IOW. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/6 "2006-11-02T21:11:15Z")
Doctors trained here go back to India . It has been coverered on news programs before, Other nations can provide a better medical procedure ,safer and far cheaper than we do. Routine surgeries are not profitable enough. Weight reduction and plastic surgery are good contenders to be shipped. We have a hugely overpriced ,high profit medical system which rewards itself.The NAFTA ideal will not just destroy industry. All high profit businesses are vulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/7 "2006-11-02T21:21:12Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Doctors trained here go back to India . It has been coverered on news programs before, Other nations can provide a better medical procedure ,safer and far cheaper than we do. Routine surgeries are not profitable enough. Weight reduction and plastic surgery are good contenders to be shipped. We have a hugely overpriced ,high profit medical system which rewards itself.The NAFTA ideal will not just destroy industry. All high profit businesses are vulnerable. [/QUOTE] So, are you willing to give up all of the excessive legal and malpractice avenues available to you? Because without them, medical care in the US would be a whole lot less “overpriced”. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/8 "2006-11-02T21:25:45Z")
I’m riding a well-flogged horse into hijack city, here, but there’s some reason to [doubt](http://www.centerjd.org/private/mythbuster/MB_medical_malpractice.htm) that “tort reform” would do much but hurt the medical consumer, and that lawsuits actually have little impact on the cost of care. So, I should think that if the patient has less recourse elsewhere, think hard about what that might be doing to the quality of the care received. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/9 "2006-11-02T21:36:29Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] So, are you willing to give up all of the excessive legal and malpractice avenues available to you? Because without them, medical care in the US would be a whole lot less “overpriced”. [/QUOTE] Depends. If we are talking about a US company making arrangements to fly batches of patients to india to have care there and the US company is making all the arrangements they probably still incur some liability for your care. So just to run with a hypothetical here lets say kaiser permanente decided to move all of their scheduled surgery to Kuala Lumpur. Just because the facility they used to treat you is outside of US jurisdiction does not mean Kaiser US could not be held accountable for things that happened to you there since you are contracted to them here in the states. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/10 "2006-11-02T21:53:14Z")
[QUOTE=drachillix] Depends. If we are talking about a US company making arrangements to fly batches of patients to india to have care there and the US company is making all the arrangements they probably still incur some liability for your care. So just to run with a hypothetical here lets say kaiser permanente decided to move all of their scheduled surgery to Kuala Lumpur. Just because the facility they used to treat you is outside of US jurisdiction does not mean Kaiser US could not be held accountable for things that happened to you there since you are contracted to them here in the states. [/QUOTE] True, certainly. However, I’ll give you a little, small example on the other side of things. My dad is a retired pediatrician. For years and years, he used to do all of the little lab stuff associated with a medical practice in house right in his office. I’m talking reading step throat cultures, urine dips, stuff like that. One day, however, a law was passed requiring that he either hire a full time lab tech to do this stuff (something that was far beyond the means or needs of a small practice), or that he send it all out to be done by outside companies. He was no longer allowed to do that stuff himself. Now, he’d been practicing medicine for decades and could read a strep culture in about half a second, something that he would do as part of the sick visit, but now he was no longer allowed to do so by law, so all that stuff got sent to places like Labcorps-at a substantial additional fee. There are thousands of little special interest laws and regulations like this in the medical field, and all of them contribute to “overpriced” health care. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/11 "2006-11-02T23:19:11Z")
I been reading that false malpractice suits are rare. The rich like to push buttons to have people give away their rights. A small amount of potential suits are filed. Some states cap it at 250 thou. hardly a windfall. Our medical price has gone unchecked. We get less for our money every year. Employee contributions increase and coverage is trimmed. The money goes straight into enormous profits. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/12 "2006-11-02T23:40:50Z")
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have retained “The Badger” just in case… \ ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/13 "2006-11-03T00:35:10Z")
The medical status of America keeps dropping. If you argue its good you should specify for the wealthy or well coverered. Latest I read was we rank 37th. We spend 3 times as much. It goes to profit for system and insurers. ---
**Author:** ![bucknut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@bucknut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucknut)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/14 "2006-11-03T06:14:22Z")
I’ll throw in my opinion regarding the cost inefficiencies here. I’ve seen some of this myself, as my fiancee is a doctor (in residency, but still): When people in the U.S. who don’t have health insurance (45 million) begin to experience a health problem, they usually do nothing about it, because it would cost them a lot of out-of-pocket money that they don’t have. Sure, they could wait for days and days in the rare free clinics for the poor, but the quality of health care and service are extremely poor in these clinics. Most often, they do nothing and hope their problem goes away. Most of the time, predictably, an ignored small problem becomes an unignorable big problem, to the extent that a hospital stay and serious treatment are required. And because it would be a violation of the doctors’ Oath of Geneva to ignore a person’s health problems just because the patients can’t pay, the hospitals have to eat the costs of poor patients’ stays and treatments. So they must pass along the costs to patients who are insured – and the whole system then becomes ridiculously expensive. The lack of health insurance, then, is a cause of health insurance’s unaffordability. How did we get into this ugly cycle? I don’t know. The better question is “How do we get out?” ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/15 "2006-11-03T16:17:25Z")
Uiversal health care. It would be cheaper and the humane thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/16 "2006-11-03T16:27:29Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] I been reading that false malpractice suits are rare. The rich like to push buttons to have people give away their rights. A small amount of potential suits are filed. Some states cap it at 250 thou. hardly a windfall. Our medical price has gone unchecked. We get less for our money every year. Employee contributions increase and coverage is trimmed. The money goes straight into enormous profits. [/QUOTE] The enormous profits go to the insurance companies. Certainly not the doctors. The medical profession is one of the few that salaries DECREASE each year on average due to the rise in medmal premiums and the fee adjustments of managed care. Yes, the US needs a better system but I am not sure Universal Healthcare is the answer. People in favor commonly think that everyone just gets a nice card and still will get the same care they are used to. Not so. Elective surgeries will have waits that could take months or years. Elective meaning non life threatening not pain free such as herniated disks or knee replacements. In my clinic we get people from the UK and Canada often who are in pain and will pay in full rather than go another day waiting for a system that is flawed. Yes, the grass looks greener but remember, with Universal Healthcare, there will be sacrifices made. ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/17 "2006-11-03T19:12:46Z")
[QUOTE=Foxy40] The enormous profits go to the insurance companies. Certainly not the doctors. The medical profession is one of the few that salaries DECREASE each year on average due to the rise in medmal premiums and the fee adjustments of managed care. Yes, the US needs a better system but I am not sure Universal Healthcare is the answer. People in favor commonly think that everyone just gets a nice card and still will get the same care they are used to. Not so. Elective surgeries will have waits that could take months or years. Elective meaning non life threatening not pain free such as herniated disks or knee replacements. In my clinic we get people from the UK and Canada often who are in pain and will pay in full rather than go another day waiting for a system that is flawed. Yes, the grass looks greener but remember, with Universal Healthcare, there will be sacrifices made. [/QUOTE] You know, the trouble is that all systems of universal health care are not the same. I think what you are trying to say is that you are opposed to a single payer system of universal health care. There are of course other systems. ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/18 "2006-11-03T19:16:35Z")
Where did the other half of my post go? Okay well here it is again: The other thing to consider is that sacrifices are already being made in the US. If you have the money and so on, you can have those surgeries you mention without waiting. Whether you are American or not. If you don’t, then you don’t have to wait, that’s true: you simply cannot have them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/19 "2006-11-03T20:52:00Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Uiversal health care. It would be cheaper and the humane thing to do. [/QUOTE] BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Keep dreaming. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872/20 "2006-11-03T21:31:46Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Nostrils in your elbow? What planet do you imagine outasourcing medical care to? Bajor? [/QUOTE] I must protest this outrageous Cardassian propoganda. Bajoran medicine is highly respected and eminently safe. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outsourcing-health-care/378872.md?page=2)