Public Employee Benefits Alliance (PEBA) Signs Agreement With Satori Medical Tourism

PEBA represents over 150,000 from two Texas Political Subdivision Pools and 68 individual employers and I guess when you have the former CEO of Cigna it seems like it is opening some doors as a couple weeks ago we had the City of Hartford sign up too. 

PEBA represents over 150,000 from two Texas Political Subdivision Pools and 68 individual employers and I guess when you have the former CEO of Cigna it seems like it is opening some doors as a couple weeks ago we had the City of Hartford sign up too. 

City of Hartford First Major US City to Offer Medical Travel Benefits to Employees With Approximately 6% in Total Budget Savings

I a guessing that Mexico will be a priority destination just simply due to location but from what I read in the press release it appears that other avenues will be open, unlike the Hartford agreement that specified Puerto Rico. 

Press Release:

SAN DIEGO, CA/AUSTIN, TX – July 21, 2011 – The Public Employee Benefits Alliance (PEBA)/Political Subdivision Healthcare Benefit Purchasing Cooperative has selected through a competitive bidding process Satori World Medical, an International Provider Network and medical travel company, as an additional network option for PEBA member employees.  PEBA was established in 2006 by a group of Texas Government leaders to develop strategies to manage the rising costs of healthcare benefits. PEBA membership is open to all Texas local governments and includes School Districts, Municipalities and Counties throughout Texas. PEBA negotiates on behalf of the membership affordable, high‐quality healthcare and related benefits and services designed for public entity employers.

Satori World Medical will provide PEBA member employers a full service medical travel program option, also known as medical tourism, international centers of excellence or global healthcare, which can result in 40-80 percent cost savings per procedure. The program offers specialized procedures, such as orthopedic, cardiac, and other major surgeries that can be performed at one of Satori’s network hospitals around the world, and includes the costs of travel and hotel accommodations for the patient and a companion.

“We are very pleased to be working with Satori World Medical. Their program adds a great value to our members’ benefit packages by giving PEBA member employers access to International Centers of Excellence around the world at significant cost savings.  Satori’s program is in direct alignment with PEBA’s mission, to provide affordable, high-quality healthcare for our members,” said Susan Smith, Administrative Services of PEBA. 

“Political subdivisions around the country are looking at international healthcare to provide a new value add medical benefit and at the same time lower their healthcare costs,” said Steven Lash, President and CEO, Satori World Medical. “The rising cost of healthcare continues to place a tremendous burden on the public sector and U.S. employees and we are thrilled that we can offer PEBA members an alternative.”

Satori World Medical has done extensive due diligence on hospitals and physicians to find the best the world has to offer. Its network features hospitals that meet or exceed U.S. standards of care, are accredited, and monitored regularly by Satori on the quality of care delivered.

For more information on PEBA, visit http://www.buypeba.org/

Satori World Medical provides access to its global network of board-certified physicians and worldwide centers of excellence through a high-quality integrated medical travel program, which is easily added to any health plan, reducing the costs of surgical procedures by an average of 40-80 percent when compared to the same procedures performed in a U.S. hospital. Its business model is specifically designed to deliver high-quality health care services, share the tremendous cost savings with plan sponsors and their employees and to coordinate all medical and travel services for individuals who need care. For more information about Satori World Medical, call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit at http://www.satoriworldmedical.com.