tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post7513703445698782104..comments2023-09-11T05:24:10.918-04:00Comments on U.S. Healthcare Issues and Fixes: Long Stay in an Indian HospitalSandipMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-73891079541106117702009-02-06T16:47:00.000-05:002009-02-06T16:47:00.000-05:00Interesting. Thanks for these inputs, Kronik-HCA.Interesting. Thanks for these inputs, Kronik-HCA.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-58150939833606714152009-02-06T16:39:00.000-05:002009-02-06T16:39:00.000-05:00My support for single payer financing of healthcar...My support for single payer financing of healthcare evolved from my personal health experiences and my professional experiences. I have had insulin dependent diabetes for 37 years so I have dealt with medical providers and private insurers for many years. I have lived in Europe for six years and I have been a Veterans Administration patient for five years so I have seen multiple approaches to healthcare financing.<BR/><BR/>I earned my CPA license 2 years before I became diabetic and I audited company health benefit plans before I ever had to make a claim for insurer reimbursement. Auditing these benefit plans was an eye opening experience. There were so many provisions, exclusions, exemptions, deductibles, caps, and co-pay provisions that it seemed I would need a Master's degree to figure it out. This audit was before spreadsheets had been developed so plotting the overall impact on an employee's needs was very difficult. Later in my career I administered employee benefit plans and selected the health insurers for our needs. <BR/><BR/>My career evolved into specializing in analyzing processes and costs. So those experiences, including the fact that I could not get health insurance coverage until I joined the VA, made it abundently clear that a single payer system is more equitable, more transparent, more efficient, and more accountable because it is integrated and aligned into the effort to provide social security and safety for our population. Additionally, medical providers benefit because reimbursement claims costs which currently average 9-13% of reimbursement revenue would fall to less then 1% under a single payer system.<BR/><BR/>My observations and experiences with private health insurers can be summarized, "their primary business practice is CAPITALIZING DECEPTION".Kronik-HCAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16648037267463562133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-14651868060363595922008-11-10T08:36:00.000-05:002008-11-10T08:36:00.000-05:00Ashok, you need to consider a couple of things bef...Ashok, you need to consider a couple of things before buying Indian health insurance coverage.<BR/><BR/>First, insurance companies all over typically accept customers and premiums without asking too many questions up front. But when the time comes for any payouts they examine eligibility and closely follow the fine print. So satisfy yourself that you are covered in the way you want. <BR/><BR/>Second, treatment in most Indian and some other international hospitals is very cheap by US standards, and cash-paying customers have a lot of flexibility and quick access to care. Insured patients may find there are some required pre-approvals or preferred providers that can constrain care. So the benefits and the security of insurance coverage needs to outweigh such concerns. <BR/><BR/>Lastly, though my information is dated, I had come across horror stories of how some Indian insurance companies simply did nothing when their customers were treated in the US, leaving the latter to face the enormous medical bills that they'd wracked up. The Indian legal system is weak and slow, and these rogue insurance companies (even public ones) apparently relied upon that to avoid fulfilling their obligations. Ideally, the company insuring you should have a substantive US presence and can be held to contractual obligations in the this legal system.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-45744342050629402672008-11-09T13:11:00.000-05:002008-11-09T13:11:00.000-05:00A very good description. Makes me think of the hig...A very good description. Makes me think of the high health insurance premiums my wife and I are paying in the U.S. and whether we will receive the needed care (without, of course, the hospital visits from an extended family that always include relatives, friends, neighbors and acquaintances) at the same level of quality Indian hospitals are now increasingly capable of offering.<BR/><BR/>Shall we as a couple, buy Indian health insurance coverage, considering we travel to Asia quite a bit, that would cover us for medical treatments there, as well as cover us for emergency treatments while in the U.S.?Ashok Sadhwanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05535778212117246698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-31345316158210875272008-10-31T19:25:00.000-04:002008-10-31T19:25:00.000-04:00Thanks, Rene. As you say many doctors of Indian o...Thanks, Rene. As you say many doctors of Indian or South Asian origin enjoy great reputations in the US, and are disproportionately represented in this profession.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-18935112482241330622008-10-31T15:55:00.000-04:002008-10-31T15:55:00.000-04:00I'm glad to hear all went well for Anita's parents...I'm glad to hear all went well for Anita's parents in the end. As I'd mentioned previously, there are many hospitals even in the US, that have Indian doctors and surgeons visiting throughout the year, and from what I hear, they are really sought out by the Americans. This was as far back as the early 90's, too.<BR/><BR/>Rene.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-21668810934852439532008-10-31T00:21:00.000-04:002008-10-31T00:21:00.000-04:00Thanks for the inputs, NS. Yes, overall they did ...Thanks for the inputs, NS. Yes, overall they did a good job though there was a slip-up that I'll describe in a subsequent post. Fortunately the surgeon and other doctors made every effort to compensate for it, and we are happy with the overall treatment and care. My in-laws are especially so.SandipMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04721935576457691892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6518114346711467418.post-84142596889314290862008-10-31T00:11:00.000-04:002008-10-31T00:11:00.000-04:00Your description of an Indian hospital is accurate...Your description of an Indian hospital is accurate! The Indian doctors and nurses seem to be more experienced than what I find in Singapore. The overall cleanliness is not as good. Seems like they did a good job of bringing both the parents back to good health.<BR/>-NSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com