Globalisation In Health Care

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The Globalisation of Health Care Case Questions: a) A decade ago the idea that medical procedures might move offshore was unthinkable. Today it is a reality. What trends have facilitated this process? Technological advancement has made outsourcing of medical work possible in recent years. The Internet most particularly makes it possible to quickly transmit large amounts of data to countries such as India where the information can be processed and returned. Countries like the U.S. have costly medical care facilities thereby prompting people to consider cheaper alternatives. A heart surgery in India is cheaper and affordable compared to that of U.S. b) Is the globalization of health care good or bad for patients? The outsourcing of medical procedures to nations where medical professionals are paid lower could clearly benefits consumers. However, the treatment standards in countries such as India may not be up to the standards found in the United States, and that the process takes some control out of the hands of the consumers. Certainly, the United States health care professionals see the outsourcing is negative trend, however, medical insurance companies view any means of cutting costs as a positive move. c) Is the globalization of health care good or bad for the American economy? The globalization of health care should result in a more efficient industry. The U.S. prices should fall as countries like India offer their services cheaper compared to them. It would require that the Americans should have more disposable income which could then be spent in other part of the economy. d) Who might benefit from the globalization of health care? Who might lose? The increasing health care cost is likely to continue to put pressure on the industry to find cheaper alternatives to handling not only direct patient care,

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