Trying to debate the quality of health care in different countries is a can of Lumbricus with no definite answer. The standardization and legal measures in place in the U.S. certainly make this one of the safest places to receive care, and to get some money in return if the doctor screws up.
At the same time, living in Italy, South Africa, and Thailand, I’ve had friends fall ill and they’ve all received excellent care. There’s been appendectomies in Bangkok, Valium overdoses in Rome, malaria in Mozambique, and my own Staph infection in the middle of nowhere, Southeast Asia. In every incidence, the care has come from dedicated professionals.
I’ve said for years that if I ever got an illness that allowed me at least a week to go get care, that I’d fly to Cape Town and get treatment there. First world doctors at third world prices.
So I’m excited to see this story in today’s Greenville News, that a BlueCross subsidiary is working with foreign doctors to help patients receive treatment more affordably. No one has to fly to another country for care if they don’t want to, and of course there’s some risks. It also means you won’t have your loved ones close by.
But — competition like this can only be a good thing for our health services here at home.
