Medical Globalization: “A Fin de Siecle Phenomenon”

The economic phenomenon of “globalization” has broadly affected the health care industry and the medical profession in the late 20th century. Governmental and private sector managed care reach is expanding globally, as patients are “ecuritized” and traded as covered lives. Arbitrage of health care goods and services is creating commoditization effects, including trans-border parallel markets i.e. black markets. Consumers and governments are becoming concerned about privacy issues and product standardization, while Third World challenges remain in the public health realm i.e., infectious pandemics, sanitation, nutrition and overpopulation.