Blog 2: Wild Card

I recently read an article in the Orlando Sentinel called Osceola County offers free surgeries- overseas by David Breen and Marni Davidson. The article discussed Osceola County’s new healthcare plan for their government employees.  The healthcare plan will give employees the option to go overseas to have surgery. County officials are hoping that this option will cut healthcare costs by using less expensive international hospitals and doctors. Osceola County is the first employer including international care in their coverage, but for many years underinsured and uninsured people have received care outside the United States (Breen & Davidson, 2012). The plan will cover around 12 surgeries, including heart bypass, joint replacements, gastric procedures, and hysterectomies (Breen & Davidson, 2012). Even if Osceola County pays for travel expenses; they expect a lot of savings (Breen & Davidson, 2012). Medical practitioners have many concerns about the quality of care received internationally (Breen & Davidson, 2012). They worry about the follow-up service provided, the combination of surgery and flying, and risk of infections (Breen & Davidson, 2012).  

I believe that the international option will be offered more through insurance in the future. If the option is utilized, costs will be significantly lower. It is very important to lower costs in these tough economic times. Employers are trying to save money in any way possible. Lowering costs will also be favorable if the quality of care could be just as good as what is found in the United States. Also, many people may be inclined to receive surgery internationally when the the expenses are covered and they have the opportunity to travel. On the other hand, there is a possibility of lower quality. So the question stands: is the possibility of lowering costs worth the risk of quality?

People have certain expectations when they receive their healthcare which affects how they rate the quality they receive. One of the main components of quality is health outcomes. Health outcomes can be affected by language barriers. For instance, if the care providers do not understand English, they may not be able to properly care for the patient (Breen & Davidson, 2012). Doctors in the United States may deny care to someone who received surgery in another country because it is a liability if they did not perform the surgery (Breen & Davidson, 2012). 

If possible, I believe health is something that you should minimize any possible risks. A risk in your healthcare could be a life or death situation. If I were a patient considering surgery outside the country, I would decide not risk it even if the travel expenses were covered. I would be way too concerned about all the potential risks that could happen overseas, as well as, the care I would receive when I got back to the United States. I would want to make sure I would have coverage back in the United States in case anything was to happen after the surgery. I would rather pay the extra money to lower the risks of anything affecting my health before, during, or after my surgery. Without your health, what do you have?

Breen, D., & Jameson, M. (2012, May 19). Osceola County offers workers free surgeries — overseas. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 20, 2012, from http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-19/health/os-medical-tourism-osceola-county-20120519_1_joint-commission-international-foreign-hospitals-and-doctors-surgery