Health Affairs, 26, no. 1 (2007): 137-141 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.1.137 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

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Commentary

Will The Surgical World Become Flat?

We obtained price and quality information for nonurgent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery from a sample of internationally patronized hospitals in low-wage countries. We found rising quality standards, availability of U.S.-trained physicians, and prices far below insurer-negotiated U.S. prices. The price differentials easily accommodated the incentive specified as a condition for surgery abroad by about 30 percent of surveyed households with a sick member. These findings foreshadow growth in offshoring of expensive nonemergency surgeries among increasingly cost-sensitive U.S. consumers and purchasers.

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