Fix for Health Insurance and Health Cost Issues in U.S.

Here in Thailand again. Have you heard of the medical vacations to Thailand and India? CNN recently did a Dr. Sanjay Gupta special on Medical Vactions to India. The special featured a woman that needed a heart operation that in the USA was going to cost her $100,000 plus. She went to India and received top notch care with up-to-date techniques, procedures and equipment for $10,000. Dr. Gupta was there and witnessed the operation.
Thailand I find is no different. Medical care in the hospitals here appears to be of high quality. There are special cardiac hospitals in Bangkok. I have seen them. There are world class hospitals here as well. In my small town of Udon Thani, Thailand (in the poor Northeast of Thailand) there are at least 6 hospitals and some that are "International" hospitals. I visited one last year when a friend's son hurt his arm playing at a play ground. She could not afford the visit so I went along and paid the bill. We went to the Emergency room of the hospital. There were no patients there. We were alone and got all the attetion of the Emergency Room staff. The personnel spoke perfect English. They took 2 x-rays. The doctor on duty looked over the x-rays but could not find a break. They gave the little guy a sling and sent him home with an appointment for the next day to see an ortopedic surgeon. I thought "Oh, great this is going to cost me". Total bill was $45. There were no bills in the mail for people to read the x-ray either. The next day we went back to the hospital and saw the surgeon. Again I thought, "Great. This is going to cost." He looked over the x-ray and again found nothing wrong but decided to put a half cast on the boy so he would not move the injury. So we got our cast and went on. Total cost $35.
Now in a hospital in the U.S. the deductibles and co-pays would have likely been in the hundreds. The bill itself probably would have been in the thousands. How do they do it??? Health care is NOT government run or subsidized. They just do. People here tend to be more realistic than people in the U.S. and there appears to be NO problems with litigations. I doubt that doctors here have to carry malpractice insurance. I have heard foreigners here discuss health insurance. The usual response is why bother. The health care itself is cheap enough but... You can get health insurance for a family for about $600 a year. I checked with the hospital administration during my visit and asked about my Blue Cross and Blue Shield coverage from the US. and guess what... They take it. Hummm... I am now 59 years old. If I chose to get health insurance here in Thailand and I do so before I turn 60, the coverage I get can be extended forever. If I am over 60 I can only extend my coverage till I am 70. But as they say... Why bother the health costs are so cheap anyways.
Aother neat thing about these hospitals is that they do accomodate the Medical Vacationer. You can get rooms in the hospitals that are like a hotel room and relatives can stay with you during the whole event.
Consider knee replacement surgery. You can get 2 knees done here with the airfares and a neat vacation after recovery for the price of one knee in the U.S.
Airfares from the U.S. to Bangkok round trip run around $800-$1500.