More Americans head overseas for health care

Lower costs and rising standards of quality lure many patients, insurers

Dr. Mukesh Tripathi removes the stitches of U.S. patient Dodie Gilmore after a successful hip operation at a hospital in New Delhi, India, Oct. 24. (Mustafa Quraishi / AP)

As an independent contractor for a small Coldwell Banker real estate franchise in Durant, Okla., she knew her privately purchased health plan would never pay up to $40,000 for the operation. So she asked her boss about traveling to India where hip resurfacing alone would cost just $7,000. He not only gave her his blessing but offered to foot the bill, minus travel and hotels — making Gilmore one of the very first Americans sent overseas for surgery by an employer. “The doctors were wonderful,” Gilmore said days after being discharged, sipping coffee at a New Delhi roadside cafe with her sister, Carol, who was along for whole trip. “The overall care was pretty darn good.” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15513596/