The Win-Win Economics of Medical Tourism

Even as insurance premium growth slows

(NEWSER) - Employers foisted a lot more health insurance costs onto their employees this year than last, even though premiums only inched upwards, according to an annual survey. Though premiums for businesses rose just 3% this year—their lowest increase in a decade—the cost the average employee was paying jumped 14%, the Wall Street Journal reports. “It’s the first time I can remember when employers have coped with costs by shifting it all to workers,” said the head of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which issued the survey. More»

(NEWSER) - For a clear example of our warped health care system, look no further than McAllen, Texas. The border town is second only to Miami in how much it spends on health care per person—$15,000 per Medicare enrollee, twice the national average. The problem? Atul Gawande of the New Yorker finds a town entrenched in the culture of too much medicine—patients get more tests, more hospital care, more surgery, more everything. And while those patients don't necessarily get healthier, hospitals and doctors certainly get richer. More»

Health costs, medical errors scare more than in other rich nations

(NEWSER) - Chronically ill Americans are more likely to forgo medical care because of high costs or bad experiences than counterparts in a number of other rich nations, a study finds. Researchers interviewed 7,500 adults with conditions like cancer, arthritis, depression, and diabetes, and the Americans led the complaints. Dutch patients had the fewest qualms, Reuters reports. More»

Harvard researchers fashion a household item into a diagnostic device

(NEWSER) - Centrifuges separate blood from plasma—but at considerable expense, in a bulky package. That leaves them beyond the reach of underfunded medical facilities that could use the help in diagnosing blood-borne ailments, such as hepatitis and other diseases. The solution, Discover reports, could be as close as the nearest kitchen. It's an eggbeater. More»

More cut back on doctor visits to save much-needed bucks

(NEWSER) - Even Americans with health insurance are ducking the doctor these days as health costs rise and the economy stays queasy, the New York Times reports. Family premiums have doubled in recent years, and out-of-pocket costs have gone up, too: “It just keeps eating into people’s income,” said a utility worker in Tucson whose medical bills have risen by about $4,000 a year. More»