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No.337 オリジナル英文

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High Costs Drive Americans Overseas for Medical Help
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John Freeman took a gamble a few years ago.

The 62-year-old retired computer analyst dropped his health care insurance, because the high monthly premiums and a huge deductible were eating up his retirement savings.

He hoped he would not need major medical care until he turned 65 and qualified for the government's Medicare insurance program.

But last year, he had a heart attack.

He was told surgery in his hometown of Reno, Nevada, would cost close to $120,000.

Freeman felt he had two choices: use up all his savings or die.

"I thought that the American medical system was gonna take away my life savings and essentially ruin any prospects I had for a pleasant retirement after the operation."

So he did what hundreds of thousands of Americans do each year: go abroad for the surgery.

After some research, Freeman decided to have his operation done at the Anadolu Medical Center in a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey.

The price?

Just 15 percent of what it would cost in Reno: $18,000, all-inclusive, except for airfare.

Acknowledging that medical tourism is a growing industry because of lower medical costs overseas, both the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons issued statements that encourage patients to seek out the treatment that best suits their needs.

However, both organizations also warn patients to make sure they choose certified doctors and surgeons at health care institutions that have met high standards of accreditation.

John Freeman took that advice seriously when he researched Anadolu Medical Center.

"When I first looked at the website, there's a logo that says 'Affiliated with Johns Hopkins University' and I think that really helped my comfort zone, so to speak for this, because I knew there was an affiliation with a well-known American hospital."

Medical industry observers expect an exponential increase in medical travelers, as continuing costly health care at home drives more Americans to seek services overseas from the growing medical tourism industry.

For VOA News, I’m Jan Sluizer in San Francisco.
by danueno | 2010-04-15 10:02 | オリジナル英文


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