The Medical Malpractice Victims’ network yesterday said a private hospital in Bangkok charged Bt3 million for treatment of a patient with typeA (H1N1) influenza who later died, apparently due to delayed treatment.

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Bangkok hospital charges a patient Bt3 million

Most American patients are seeking significantly lower prices. But some go abroad for treatments not yet available or not yet widely practiced in the United States. Others head overseas for the personalized service emphasized by high-end private hospitals working to appeal to an international clientele.

Medical travelers logged an estimated 19 million trips and spent $20 billion in 2005; the numbers are expected to more than double by 2010, according to Tourism Research and Marketing, a London consulting firm. Thailand last year served 1.4 million medical tourists, including 65,000 Americans, some of whom were already living abroad. Singapore and India also have a strong network of hospitals drawing foreign tourists, as does Malaysia.

A patient, who later died, was charged 3M baht (89000 USD) for a H1N1 treatment

With an estimated 45 million uninsured Americans, some 500,000 trekked overseas last year for medical treatment, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. Asian hospitals in Thailand, India and Singapore have long been swarmed by medical tourists looking for tummy tucks and face lifts, but many glitzy, marble-floored facilities are now gaining reputations for big-ticket procedures including heart surgery, knee and back operations.

Some American hospitals already rely on places like India for X-ray readings and other diagnostics, while also importing foreign doctors and nurses. But the U.S. health care industry has been largely immune to overseas competition — just one reason behind soaring costs.

Premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage have surged 87 percent over the past six years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, putting a huge burden on both companies and employees. Family health coverage now runs about $11,500 annually, with workers themselves forking out nearly $3,000.

But just as shipping U.S. manufacturing to China and call centers to India initially created loud opposition, some critics are already preparing to fight any possible mass exodus of Americans packing their bags to go under the knife overseas.

In addition, West Virginia lawmaker Ray Canterbury plans to propose legislation next year that would give government employees the option of traveling abroad for necessary procedures, which could save the state up to $2 million annually. He wants to offer incentives, including extra sick leave and 20 percent of the cash saved by going abroad — allowing workers to actually make money on the deal.

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