The Practice of Medical Tourism

Some Americans have decided to look offshore for medical care thanks to "medical tourism." That's right, this year 500,000 Americans are traveling to other nations so they can afford medical procedures. Procedures are generally between 30%-80% less than what they cost domestically.

Business 2.0 just reported on this phenomenon because it's a great business opportunity. Many U.S. companies are being created to work with citizens to arrange trips so they can afford surgery. An example they cited was one person got a hip replacement in Punjab. Including airfare and a hotel stay, the expense was $13,000. The survey alone would be $40,000 in the United States.

This business is sure to prosper. Many nations deliver these procedures at least as well as they are done domestically. The job of these businesses is to do this homework and ensure their patients are getting the best care possible. And, many businesses are now encouraging it and providing incentives.

And, this is one type of offshoring that I don't mind seeing. It may force politicians to actually acknowledge the enormous healthcare problem and work to improve it.

Pact Against the United States

Things aren't getting any easier for the U.S. presidential administration. Casualties continue to mount in Iraq, Iran isn't becoming any less of a threat, and North Korea has been flexing its muscles, plus there are the issues in Lebanon. Now, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko have formed an alliance to stand up against American imperialism.

First, I wouldn't be terribly concerned about this pact. However, it's just another consequence of jumping into a war for reasons that turned out to be false (weapons of mass destruction) that --whether true or not--makes the U.S. appear to be aggressive and imperialistic. The sad reality is there are a handful of threats out there mixed with an overworked military. If a worse case scenario occurred, I'm not sure the U.S. could respond properly.

In the end, I hope the international events of the past couple years serve as a lesson for future administrations. Mistakes have been made, and I hope we use the advantage of past history to help us never repeat them again.

Are We Really Supporting Our Troops?

"Support our troops" sure makes for a great bumper sticker. However, it's sad to see that the so-called "support" ends when they arrive at home. CNN has a good article on this problem. It's fine and dandy for people to try to show their support, but actions speak louder than words. And, there's a lot of irony in the fact that many people who claim to support them oppose social programs, many of which would really support our troops.

And, more support is going to be needed. I have no doubt that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder will only grow given the current situation in Iraq. Just put yourself in their shoes where they really don't know who the enemy is--that sure sounds like a difficult way to live life. It's far from surprising that a few troops have acted a little too quickly.

War isn't always the best route and it sure is expensive. But, regardless of those facts, the investment needs to continue when troops come home. Otherwise, we really aren't supporting our troops at all.