4 ms·

I guess you could roll the dice and hope the for best but you will lose your ability to sue the hospital for malpractice if they mess up.

terse_malvolio 6y ago
Maybe there is a chance that insurance could be enabling malpractice? I'd have to get hard data on this to make a determination but I'd wager that most reputable medical professionals try to avoid malpractice regardless of country.
BurningFrog 6y ago
The alternative is often to not have the procedure at all.
jasonpeacock 6y ago
You're making a lot of assumptions here that an out-of-country hospital would be of questionable quality and not have medical malpractice laws. Just because other countries medical & legal systems are different than the US doesn't mean they are inferior.
- learc83 6y ago
  The GP was talking about losing your ability sue for malpractice not implying that every other country has inferior medical or legal care. A country can have a fine legal system for locals that's difficult or prohibitively expensive to access for non-citizens living outside the country.
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    One of my businesses refuses to serve Americans simply because they have a habit of reaching for the legal system if they aren't happy with the service. All the Americans end up going to my competitor, who is currently in the midst of three lawsuits which will probably sink the company. Two of the lawsuits are with clients I turned away simply because they looked likely to sue! You can bet that as an American, you will pay substantially more than a local for many services simply because Americans have a reputation for this sort of stuff, and local businesses don't want to take the risk. I really wish there was some kind of certificate saying "I have never set foot in a courtroom, threatened legal action, or hired a lawyer".
    - ArtDev 6y ago
      And then the hospital can't sue you if you can't pay the absurd bill?
      - londons_explore 6y ago
        It isn't the people with legit complaints.... It's the people who do something foolish and then try to sue someone else blaming them... If I rent you a jetski for an hour, it isn't my fault if you drive over your child with it... It's a jetski. It's dangerous. Don't expect someone else to pay if you mess up.
        alisonkisk 6y ago
        In a country with socialized medical care, someone else does pay.
      - dominotw 6y ago
        Here in India. You pay upfront. No payment = no surgery.
    - snakeboy 6y ago
      That's why I don't let black people into my restaurant. Statistically, they're more likely to commit a crime once inside, so I don't want to take the risk. All the black people in town end up going to the restaurant down the street, who had their register robbed one time by a dark-skinned fellow that I turned away because he sure looked suspicious! I sure hope they've learned their lesson by now. You can bet that as a black person in our town, you'll pay substantially more than white folks, because most of us understand that black people have a reputation for this sort of stuff and general trouble, and we don't want to take the risk. I really wish there was some kind of certificate to let us know which ones are the docile blacks... (Note: It should go without saying that this is a tongue-in-cheek response)
      - londons_explore 6y ago
        I'd be all for banning discrimination based on nationality. But we need to start with the biggest discriminators - governments. Why is an American allowed into America, but a Syrian isn't?
- TameAntelope 6y ago
  Even the best hospitals make mistakes, malpractice is not just some cudgel used to beat good doctors over their heads, and America has some of the most comprehensive malpractice law in the world. That said, if I'm wrong about that I'm interested in learning more.
- dominotw 6y ago
  > legal systems are different than the US doesn't mean they are inferior Yes. Indian legal system is very inferior compared to USA. My family is fighting a garden variety land dispute case for over a decade. I cannot even imagine someone successfully suing a doctor here for malpractice while living in USA.
skeeter2020 6y ago
I have never anticipated a medical procedure, emergency or otherwise, and considered "my ability to sue for malpractice if this goes wrong". I just don't believe this is a consideration for the actual patient, even if it was relevant (example: Canada with universal public system essentially has no malpractice lawsuits).

terse_malvolio 6y ago

Maybe there is a chance that insurance could be enabling malpractice? I'd have to get hard data on this to make a determination but I'd wager that most reputable medical professionals try to avoid malpractice regardless of country.

BurningFrog 6y ago

The alternative is often to not have the procedure at all.

jasonpeacock 6y ago

You're making a lot of assumptions here that an out-of-country hospital would be of questionable quality and not have medical malpractice laws. Just because other countries medical & legal systems are different than the US doesn't mean they are inferior.

learc83 6y ago
The GP was talking about losing your ability sue for malpractice not implying that every other country has inferior medical or legal care. A country can have a fine legal system for locals that's difficult or prohibitively expensive to access for non-citizens living outside the country.
- londons_explore 6y ago
  One of my businesses refuses to serve Americans simply because they have a habit of reaching for the legal system if they aren't happy with the service. All the Americans end up going to my competitor, who is currently in the midst of three lawsuits which will probably sink the company. Two of the lawsuits are with clients I turned away simply because they looked likely to sue! You can bet that as an American, you will pay substantially more than a local for many services simply because Americans have a reputation for this sort of stuff, and local businesses don't want to take the risk. I really wish there was some kind of certificate saying "I have never set foot in a courtroom, threatened legal action, or hired a lawyer".
  - ArtDev 6y ago
    And then the hospital can't sue you if you can't pay the absurd bill?
    - londons_explore 6y ago
      It isn't the people with legit complaints.... It's the people who do something foolish and then try to sue someone else blaming them... If I rent you a jetski for an hour, it isn't my fault if you drive over your child with it... It's a jetski. It's dangerous. Don't expect someone else to pay if you mess up.
      - alisonkisk 6y ago
        In a country with socialized medical care, someone else does pay.
    - dominotw 6y ago
      Here in India. You pay upfront. No payment = no surgery.
  - snakeboy 6y ago
    That's why I don't let black people into my restaurant. Statistically, they're more likely to commit a crime once inside, so I don't want to take the risk. All the black people in town end up going to the restaurant down the street, who had their register robbed one time by a dark-skinned fellow that I turned away because he sure looked suspicious! I sure hope they've learned their lesson by now. You can bet that as a black person in our town, you'll pay substantially more than white folks, because most of us understand that black people have a reputation for this sort of stuff and general trouble, and we don't want to take the risk. I really wish there was some kind of certificate to let us know which ones are the docile blacks... (Note: It should go without saying that this is a tongue-in-cheek response)
    - londons_explore 6y ago
      I'd be all for banning discrimination based on nationality. But we need to start with the biggest discriminators - governments. Why is an American allowed into America, but a Syrian isn't?
TameAntelope 6y ago
Even the best hospitals make mistakes, malpractice is not just some cudgel used to beat good doctors over their heads, and America has some of the most comprehensive malpractice law in the world. That said, if I'm wrong about that I'm interested in learning more.
dominotw 6y ago
> legal systems are different than the US doesn't mean they are inferior Yes. Indian legal system is very inferior compared to USA. My family is fighting a garden variety land dispute case for over a decade. I cannot even imagine someone successfully suing a doctor here for malpractice while living in USA.

skeeter2020 6y ago

I have never anticipated a medical procedure, emergency or otherwise, and considered "my ability to sue for malpractice if this goes wrong". I just don't believe this is a consideration for the actual patient, even if it was relevant (example: Canada with universal public system essentially has no malpractice lawsuits).