Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

Promoting Medical Tourism ● 153growing number of exceptions. U.S. private health insurers Blue Cross andBlue Shield insure patients treated at the Wockhardt Hospitals, as does theBritish Health Insurer BUPA. 53 BUPA also signed a contract with RubyHospital in Kolkata, India. There are local exceptions in private health insuranceschemes. A California Blue Shield HMO covers nonemergency treatmentin Mexico (the difference in insurance of a family of 4 is between$631/month if treated in the United States and $306/month if treated inMexico). 54 In 2006, the West Virginia legislature discussed the possibility ofsending state employees abroad for cheaper medical care. 55 The proposed billwould encourage state employees to travel abroad for selected medical careand give them cash incentives valued at 20 percent of the cost savings.At the same time, a newly created fund would absorb the remainder of thesavings. It would be used to reduce employee health care premiums. In NorthCarolina, the Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc. benefits office is consideringmedical tourism as a way to provide a higher quality and quantity of medicalcare to its employees. 56 Three Fortune 500 companies are researchingplaces to send employees for elective surgeries. 57 Also, corporations withnumerous foreign workers and/or those that require international travel arelikely to have more liberal health insurance schemes for their employees. Asnoted in chapter 3, expatriates temporarily residing abroad have especiallyportable insurance. Van Breda, a Belgian private insurer, insures employeesof the United Nations (as well as other global organizations, corporations,and institutions). It covers health care anywhere in the world.By contrast, private insurers in developing countries tend to have greaterportability. Chilean private insurance plans offer the possibility of treatmentoutside the country. The Vida Tres Isapre, for example, includes as a benefitthe use of the Mayo Clinic services in the United States. 58 As noted inchapter 5, Zarrilli said, “In Sao Paulo, for instance, the best hospitals chargefees which are sometimes higher than those charged by well known hospitalsin the United States. Some health insurances are even offering Brazilianpatients the option of receiving health care in the United States.” Also, Amilis a Brazilian HMO that is offering Brazilians insurance coverage at somehospitals in its network in the United States. 59 Its offshoot, Amil InternationalHealth Corporation, based in Miami, helps patients with translation, groundtransportation, interpretation, and other logistics.Implications of Increased Insurance PortabilityAuthorities in developing countries are seeking to make medical tourism awin/win option for themselves and their international patients. They believethat source countries can also be brought into the win situation, especially