Health care's time is coming, too. Already many functions of the in-office radiologist are going overseas. Just transmit the picture to Dr. Sanjeeb in Bangalore to look over and render an opinion on. He'll work for a third of what Dr. Wilson in the US will. Sorry, Doc, go work at Mac's.
Who will take the picture? Well, how about an automated system? I saw an article the other day that described what was almost like a self-service MRI. The patient arrived at the office and a minimum-wage orderly told them where to go and what to do. The patient presented himself to the MRI machine, which had been remotely programmed in Bangalore by Dr. Sanjeeb's assistant, a med-tech who works for maybe a tenth of what a US technician would cost. The machine tells the patient what to do, how to lie down, when to hold his breath and when to breathe again. All monitored remotely in Bangalore. If there is a mishap or a question, Dr. Sanjeeb's assistant comes on the speaker phone and tells the patient what to do.
The final evolution may be the "robot" surgeon I was on the TV just today. It was not really a robot, but a surgical machine operated by a "remote presence", including audio, visual, and tactile feedback. A remotely-located surgeon stuck his hands into some manipulator gloves, and the machine mimicked his every move. So here is a vision of the future: for 10% of the local cost, Dr. Sanjeeb in Bangalore does your surgery by remote control. No need for domestic medical professionals. Cheaper and "better" to do it overseas.
So all those on FR and elsewhere who cheer the disappearance of so-called "meaningless" jobs from the domestic economy, who praise the "free market" for making such wonders possible, all I can say is, be careful for what you wish for and cheer for. The throat you cut may be your own one day.
There is a simpler method - put patients on the plane and fly them for the operation to Bombay. Even you you use the space of three or four seats the total price can be reduced four times.
Maybe patients will have to be put to sleep before. When they wake up (if they wake up) they will be back in US. :)