Hip Hip Bombay

It seems that when someone suggests that the US adopt some form of universal health care, supporters of America's failing system are apt to point out that foreigners are lining up to come to our country for various medical procedures. Yet, according to an Associated Press article, Americans are more and more traveling to OTHER countries for medical care.

BOMBAY, India — Bradley Thayer, a retired apple farmer from Okanogan, Wash., traveled 7,500 miles to get his torn knee ligament fixed, and says he paid a third of what it would have cost him in a U.S. hospital.

And that included airfare to Bombay.

Thayer, 60, had no health insurance when he fell and injured himself while vacationing in British Columbia. He says his U.S. doctors told him he would have to wait six months for surgery and pay bills totaling $35,000.

So, if the US system is SUPPOSEDLY the envy of the rest of the world, why are more Americans traveling overseas for care? Why are more and more Americans seeking out prescriptions from Canada and Mexico?

The answer is obvious. They can get the same level of care for a fraction of the cost.