Roger Nusbaum

Medical Tourism as a Viable Investment Theme?

how did you figure out to go to Costa Rica? then how did you come to choose the doctor and the facility?


On Sep 09 09:36 AM YoYoMama wrote:

> I can provide a first-hand experience. I have traveled to Costa
> Rica for treatment. My doctor was US board certified, and his clinic,
> while not fancy by US standards, was spotlessly clean. I received
> un-rushed, personalized attention, and was kept in his clinic for
> as long as I needed to recover from my procedure.
>
> Most importantly, I was told UPFRONT what my costs would be. I paid
> not a penny more. In fact, my doctor ended up refunding $1,200 on
> my bill because he found the surgery not to be as extensive as he
> thought!!
>
> Compare this to American hospitals, that are chronically understaffed,
> overworked, and you are shuffled in and out regardless of whether
> or not you are physically ready to leave. Why is that? Because
> INSURANCE dictates your care, not the doctor.
>
> And the kicker? You have NO IDEA how much it will cost you on the
> back end of your stay. Keeping you in the dark is the best way to
> run up the highest possible bill on the back end. How else can a
> hospital get away with charging $7.00 for a pitcher of water (yes,
> that was on my hospital bill for the birth of my child).
>
> My surgery in Costa Rica was 1/3 of what it would have cost in the
> United States, and I do not have one complaint about the care I received.
> In terms of personalized care, I found the treatment in Costa Rica
> absolutely superior to anything I have ever experienced in an American
> hospital.
>
> Should I require serious medical treatment again, my FIRST choice
> will be to go OUTSIDE the United States. God willing, I'll never
> have a serious procedure within our borders ever again.

Medical Tourism as a Viable Investment Theme?

thank you for the data.

in terms of simple logistics (the actual planning of a surgery and a trip) some questions are coming up on my blog about being able to get over there (wherever there may be) on a timely basis. it would seem being able to travel when needed heart surgery could be difficult to pull off.


On Sep 08 02:21 PM Josef Woodman wrote:

> Roger: Excellent piece. You mentioned you wanted to more information
> on quality of care: There are now more than 250 JCI-approved international
> hospitals, accredited by the same US agency that accredits most
> hospitals here in the US. Moreover, these to international facilities
> are often partnered with US healthcare institutions, e.g. Harvard
> Medical, Jo
hns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, et al. So, the short
> answer is, yes, the international quality of care "stands up," and
> often surpasses the care and patient service found on our shores.

Interview: Luciano Siracusano, Director of Research for ETF Firm WisdomTree Asset Management

Another one if that is OK. I realize WisdomTree makes its own indices and I am under the impression that the company is exploring, one way or another, fixed income products. I had a lot of feedback from people wanting foreign bond ETFs. I know MSCI/Barra has a lot of indices of foreign soverign debt (single country and regional) and I think this woud be a great tool.

I am fairly index agnostic relative to wanting the exposure for my clients. <strong>Any chance WisdomTree could get involved in this way?</strong> The interest and so I think the demand is very big.

Interview: Luciano Siracusano, Director of Research for ETF Firm WisdomTree Asset Management

Luciano,

Great to meet you last week. Here is one I meant to ask.

In looking at the top ten of DEB and DEW, I'm not sure how Total (TOT) can be number 4 in DEB but not be in the top ten for DEW (as of 12/11). Another example Lloyd's has a different rank in each of the two. I get how the weightings can be different percentages but not how the order can be different.

Thank you!