by After 17 years, family discovers India’s medical system actually works
An NRI couple has returned to India after 17 years in America, citing crushing healthcare costs as their primary reason for abandoning the land of opportunity. Their social media post explaining this decision has gone viral with 1.6 million views, because nothing unites people quite like shared trauma over medical bills. The couple essentially said “we’d rather deal with Delhi traffic than American hospital billing departments,” which is possibly the most devastating critique of US healthcare ever uttered.
The family, complete with twin children who presumably have the dual superpower of needing both routine and emergency medical care, discovered that health insurance in America is less “insurance” and more “expensive monthly subscription to still paying out of pocket.” They reported spending massive amounts annually despite having coverage, experiencing the uniquely American phenomenon of being simultaneously insured and bankrupted by medical expenses.
In their Instagram video, the couple explained that Indian healthcare “actually feels accessible,” which is the kind of statement that should make American policymakers weep into their campaign contribution forms. Accessible healthcarewhat a radical concept! It’s almost like people shouldn’t have to choose between medical treatment and their children’s college fund, but apparently that’s a controversial take in the world’s wealthiest nation.
The irony is delicious: America exports its best and brightest medical professionals from India, charges astronomical fees for their services, and then Indian professionals return home because they literally cannot afford the American medical system they’re part of. It’s like a snake eating its tail, except the snake has a $5,000 deductible and the tail requires pre-authorization.
Health insurance premiums in the US average around $8,000 annually per person, while comparable coverage in India costs roughly ?10,000 (approximately $120). That’s not a typo. Americans pay 65 times more for health insurance than Indians, and often receive worse outcomes. But sure, let’s keep pretending the US system is the envy of the world.
The couple’s story resonates because it’s not unique. Thousands of NRIs perform the calculation: prestigious job in America minus soul-crushing healthcare costs minus inability to afford getting sick equals maybe just go back to India? It’s reverse brain drain, except instead of fleeing poverty or persecution, people are fleeing co-pays and out-of-network providers.
Indian healthcare has its problemsinfrastructure gaps, quality variations, overcrowdingbut at least medical bankruptcy isn’t a leading cause of financial ruin. An appendectomy in India might cost $3,000 out of pocket; in America, it’s $33,000. Both countries successfully remove your appendix. Only one also removes your life savings.
The couple noted that India offers not just affordable care but a support systemfamily, community, accessible doctors who don’t require three months advance booking. In America, you need a PhD in insurance terminology just to understand your coverage, and even then you’ll somehow owe money after every visit because your blood test was processed by an out-of-network lab that happens to share a building with your in-network doctor.
This story is medical tourism in reverse. Instead of Americans flying to India for affordable surgery, Indians are living in India for affordable everything. The couple’s decision represents a damning verdict on American healthcare delivered not through policy papers but through airline tickets. When emigrants return home specifically because healthcare is better, perhaps it’s time to admit the system is broken beyond repair.
SOURCE: https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/nri-couple-returns-to-india-after-17-years-citing-high-us-healthcare-costs-actually-feels-accessible-9680342
SOURCE: Bohiney.com (https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/nri-couple-returns-to-india-after-17-years-citing-high-us-healthcare-costs-actually-feels-accessible-9680342)
