An increasing number of the 46 million Americans without health insurance have begun fleeing to places as far away as India to get lifesaving medical treatments.


Wired:

CHENNAI, India — As startling numbers of Americans go without health insurance, more of them see their only hope in fleeing to far-flung nations like India for life-saving medial treatments.

The dearth of affordable health insurance has engendered a new breed of what the New England Journal of Medicine classifies as “medical refugees” — patients traveling abroad for heart surgery and other crucial procedures — that has grown sharply in the past two years.

In 2005, 46 million Americans — or about 15 percent of the total population — lacked health insurance, according to a Census Bureau study. For families who don’t qualify for Medicare but can’t afford private coverage, a sudden accident or illness could lead to financial disaster.

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