Obama, McCain and Medical Tourism

It should not surprise anyone that there is no mention of medical travel and tourism in the platform of either the Republican or Democratic parties. However, it’s lurking beneath the surface.

GOP candidate John McCain’s healthcare policies and positions would encourage Americans to take greater individual responsibility for their healthcare choices. Health benefits would no longer be treated as tax-free income; instead, individuals and families would get substantial tax credits for medical spending and would have tax-free health savings accounts.

Obama’s plan calls for most employers to either provide benefits or to pay into a national healthcare plan. He would create a National Health Insurance Exchange where insurers would sell coverage to small businesses and individuals. To participate, insurers would have to disclose costs and benefits of various plans and the percentage of premiums that go to patient care as opposed to administrative costs. The goal is to create a transparent market for health insurance that will improve quality, efficiency and value.

It is easy to see how medical travel would continue to grow under the administration of either man. Under McCain, consumers would presumably pay more attention to their own medical costs and might opt for care abroad. Under Obama, it is more likely that insurers bidding to be competitive with individuals and small businesses will look to provide innovative plans that keep costs down.

The odds are that you’re not going to be hearing either candidate out on the campaign stump extolling the virtues of outsourcing; more likely you’ll hear the opposite. But when all is said and done, there is nothing in the healthcare proposals of either party that is inimical to medical tourism.

A tip of the hat and a link to Amanda Hayes-Kibreab and Natasha Bellroth, who wrote a more extensive analysis:

How Would Obama and McCain’s Healthcare Proposals Impact Medical Travel?

The authors say McCain’s proposals are more friendly to medical tourism than are Obama’s. The only thing I’m sure of is that we probably don’t get to try both routes to healthcare reform.

Medical tourism seems likely to be part of the solution, either way.