Notes from Consumer Health World

Notes from Consumer Health World There is definitely change in the air. Canvassing speakers and attendees at the Consumer Health World Conference in Washington DC last week, it is clear that US employers and insurers are finally buying into medical... More

Notes from Consumer Health World There is definitely change in the air. Canvassing speakers and attendees at the Consumer Health World Conference in Washington DC last week, it is clear that US employers and insurers are finally buying into medical tourism. Just don’t expect to see any patient movement until 2010. It’s a case of hurry up and wait. Despite rising awareness, widespread press coverage and increased US employers and insurer interest, there is a high probability that medical tourist volumes will drop in 2009. Blame this on two factors. One, the global economic downturn is forcing consumers to cut back on all non-essential spending, and that includes elective surgeries. Two, the long lead times implement new plan design. As David Boucher, CEO of Companion Global Healthcare, explains that the sales-implementation cycle for new benefit design is normally 12-18 months. Plan designers are pitching new products today for implementation in 2010, which effectively means th Less