日韩精品久久一区二区三区_亚洲色图p_亚洲综合在线最大成人_国产中出在线观看_日韩免费_亚洲综合在线一区

English 中文網 漫畫網 愛新聞iNews 翻譯論壇
中國網站品牌欄目(頻道)
當前位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> 新聞播報> Normal Speed News VOA常速

High costs drive Americans overseas for medical help

[ 2010-04-09 13:24]     字號 [] [] []  
免費訂閱30天China Daily雙語新聞手機報:移動用戶編輯短信CD至106580009009

High costs drive Americans overseas for medical help

With the passage of America's Health Care Reform bill, more Americans will have access to affordable health insurance. But they have yet to see lower costs for medical treatment. Because of that continuing expense, many Americans choose to go abroad for one-time medical surgeries or procedures.

Grim choice

John Freeman took an gamble a few years ago. The 62-year-old retired computer analyst dropped his health care insurance because the high monthly premiums and a huge deductible were eating up his retirement savings. He hoped he would not need major medical care until he turned 65 and qualified for the government's Medicare insurance program.

But last year, he had a heart attack. He was told surgery in his hometown of Reno, Nevada, would cost close to $120,000. Freeman felt he had two choices: use up all of his savings or die.

"I thought that the American medical system was going to take away my life savings and essentially ruin any prospects I had for a pleasant retirement after the operation," he says.

High costs drive Americans overseas for medical help

Exploring his options

So Freeman did what hundreds of thousands of Americans do each year: go abroad for the surgery.

After some research, Freeman decided to have his operation done at the Anadolu Medical Center in the suburb of Istanbul, Turkey. The price was just 15 percent of what it would have cost in Reno: $18,000, all-inclusive, except for airfare.

Acknowleding that medical tourism is a growing industry because of lower medical costs overseas, both the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons issued statements that encourage patients to seek out the treatment that best suits their needs. However, both organizations also warn patients to make sure they choose certified doctors and surgeons at health care institutions that have met high standards of accreditation.

John Freeman took that advice seriously when he researched Anadolu Medical Center.

"When I first looked at the website, there's a logo that says 'Affiliated with Johns Hopkins University' and I think that really helped my comfort zone because I knew there was an affiliation with a well-known American hospital," he says. "I knew my doctor was in meetings with American doctors about things like heart surgery techniques."

Medical tourism

Americans began going abroad for cosmetic surgery such as facelifts, breast implants and reductions, and tummy tucks in the 1980s and 90s. Today, common medical procedures pursue overseas include cardiac surgery, knee and hip replacements, liver transplants and dental work.

High costs drive Americans overseas for medical help

"We have a problem delivering affordable quality health care in this country," says Wouter Hoeberechts, CEO of WorldMedAssist, the medical tourism provider that helped John Freeman find his surgeon in Turkey.

He founded WMA three years ago to offer ailing Americans accredited and affordable medical treatment in six countries.

Hoeberechts, originally from the Netherlands, says all the hospitals affiliated with his company meet high U.S. standards and many of their board-certified doctors and surgeons trained in America.

"What we try to do is - for each hospital that we work with - become the number one or number two provider of U.S. patients, so that we really can build a very good relationship with those hospitals and make sure that patient benefits from that," says Hoeberechts.

High costs drive Americans overseas for medical help

Surgery abroad

John Freeman can attest to that. He says he received professional surgery and excellent care from attentive doctors and nurses.

"If one can say that about such an essentially unpleasant thing, I actually really enjoyed the whole experience and the price was very good," he says. "I got it done and can still have a retirement."

Hoeberechts says WorldMedAssist has successfully sent several hundred patients abroad for medical treatment at a discount. WMA is one of a growing number of companies providing this service.

But medical tourism is not for everyone. Prospective patients must be fit for travel, the cost must make economic sense, the length of stay should be relatively short and follow-up care must be predictable and fairly brief.

Aftercare challenges

That is the challenge John Freeman faces: aftercare. Now that he's back home, his doctor wants him to take some expensive post-operation tests. But, still without insurance and feeling okay, Freeman says he doesn't want to spend the money.

That attitude concerns neurosurgeon and Harvard educator, Dr. Teo Forcht Dagi, who oversaw the writing of the statement on medical tourism for the American College of Surgeons. Dagi stresses that overseas medical treatment is not for routine or on-going health problems. He notes aftercare is of concern to both the ACS and the American Medical Association because follow-up is rare.

"So what you get may be cost, but what you give up may be the on-going relationship, the communication, the follow-up care, and things, traditionally, American patients have held very dear," says Dagi.

Seeing growth potential in medical tourism, many major American health care insurance providers have started pilot programs that offer overseas coverage. If a subscriber can get quality care for less overseas, the companies calculate they will have to pay out less money in reimbursement.

Medical industry observers expect to see an increase in medical travelers, as continuing costly health care at home drives more Americans to seek services overseas from the growing medical tourism industry.

Related stories:

'Health tourism' increasingly popular in Asia

醫療游客 medical tourist

民意調查顯示美國富人向往太空旅行

US healthcare system 'wastes' $850b a year

(來源:VOA 編輯:陳丹妮)

 
中國日報網英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
 

關注和訂閱

人氣排行

翻譯服務

中國日報網翻譯工作室

我們提供:媒體、文化、財經法律等專業領域的中英互譯服務
電話:010-84883468
郵件:[email protected]
 
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 一区二区三区在线观看视频 | 一级尻逼视频 | 国产福利视频一区二区 | 狠狠草视频| 天天夜干 | 天天躁日日躁狠狠很躁 | 91精品久久久久久久 | 亚洲国产二区 | 亚洲成色www久久网站 | 久久一区| 亚洲一区二区三区四区 | 亚洲精品无码成人A片九色播放 | 亚洲六月丁香色婷婷综合久久 | 日韩视频在线观看免费 | 欧美精品一级 | 羞羞哒哒视频 | 狠狠综合久久综合鬼色 | 成年男女免费视频 | 欧洲成人 | 国产一区二区黑人欧美xxxx | 仇爱电视剧泰剧在线观看免费播放 | 天天舔天天射天天操 | 日本视频一区在线观看免费 | 精品亚洲欧美高清不卡高清 | 国产乱偷国产偷高清 | 鲁丝片一区二区三区免费 | 日本1区2区 | 午夜理伦三级理论三级在线观看 | 成人网址大全 | 午夜一区二区三区 | 亚洲精品国产成人 | 日韩精品hd | 精品国产99 | 伊人无码高清 | 先锋影音资源网站 | 岛国毛片一级一级特级毛片 | 一级黄色片在线 | 激情六月丁香婷婷 | 亚洲美女在线播放 | 国产一区高清 | 欧美不卡一区二区三区在线观看 |