US companies send employees to Asia for surgical procedures!
Reports from the US say that at least 40 American corporations have signed a health plan which allows sending employees abroad to India, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, saving more than 80% on the cost of medical procedures.
United Group Programs, a health insurer in Boca Raton, Florida, began offering the programme six moths ago as a result of skyrocketing medical costs in the United States where an estimated 16% of GDP is spent on healthcare.
Newsweek reported that more than 150,000 North American and Europeans are currently seeking medical treatment abroad, giving instances of the savings of an angioplasty which costs $US50,000 in an American hospital being performed for only $US6000 in India.
Newsweek also quotes Abacas International, a leading travel facilitator, estimating that medical tourism to Asia could generate up to $US4.4 billion dollars by 2012 with for invasive surgeries, preferred destination including India, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia where large hospitals, like the Apollo chain in India and Bumrungrad in Bangkok in Thailand, actively market to American, European and Middle Eastern patients.
Medical web sites promote partnerships with nearby luxury hotels for post-operative recovery and limousines to pick up patients at the airport.
Newsweek says Bumrungrad has treated 400,000 patients from 150 countries, highest in the world, and plans to double its outpatient capacity to 6000 a day, taking just 17 minutes to see a specialist once a patient walks into the hospital.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt