Outsource, MD

Today, the New York Daily News has an article about how some US based businesses are trying to outsource the medical care of their employees overseas. Basically, it's like this: You call your computer Help Desk (IT) number, and it rings over in India somewhere. They give you advice over the phone and you're all set (yeah, right). Now, you want your open heart surgery done, get on the phone, call your "help desk" and then get on a flight to India for your surgery. Why? It's cheaper for your company.
This whole article is based on another article in Business Insurance Magazine. My favorite part of the article is this quote from some dude in Hawaii:

Chuck Kelley, medical director at Outrigger Enterprises Inc. in Honolulu, told the magazine it will be hard to persuade employees to travel abroad for medical care.
"Health care treatment is a very personal issue for Americans, and when they are sick, they want to be close to their family and in the care of providers they know and trust - even if they are not the best," Kelley said. "They will settle for inferior and more expensive treatment to be home."
Companies like Blue Ridge plan to give their employees a financial incentive to go abroad by offering to cover them and their dependents for any out-of-pocket costs.

Yes. We (Americans) settle for inferior health care in this country. Riiiiiight. I like how this guy is trying to be all sneaky here. He's implying that by going abroad you'll get better healthcare than in the U.S. I have to tell you that I don't really believe that to be true. And even if it was, what is so wrong about wanting to be close to your family when you're sick. What I want to know is if these higher-ups in these companies who are making these decisions are on their way to Mumbai for their colonoscopy or not. Because if they're still heading over to their local mecca of medicine, why the double standard? All I know is that this just sounds like a bad idea to me.