His doctors advised that he get his hip joint replaced, which his insurer would pay for, but after doing some research on the internet, he decided to get a different procedure - joint resurfacing - not covered by his insurance. And instead of going to a San Francisco hospital, he chose to go to India and paid $US6,600 ($8600), a fraction of the $US25,000 he would have paid at home.
Beeney flew to Hyderabad and had the surgery at Apollo Hospital by a London-trained specialist, Vijay Bose. Two weeks later, Beeney says that he was walking around the Taj Mahal "like any other tourist".
His story is increasingly common, as Europeans and Americans, looking for world-class treatment at prices a fourth or fifth of what they would be at home, are travelling to India. Modern hospitals, skilled doctors and advanced treatments are helping foreigners overcome some of their qualms about getting treatment in India.
Even as politicians and workers' groups oppose the corporate practice of outsourcing, Beeney and patients like him are literally outsourcing themselves - not only in India but also in countries like Thailand and Singapore - for all kinds of medical services from cosmetic to critical surgeries.
About 150,000 foreigners visited India for medical treatments in the year to March 2004, the Confederation of Indian Industry said. That number was projected to rise by 15per cent each year for the next several years. Consultancy McKinsey & Co says foreign visitors will help Indian hospitals earn about $US2.3 billion by 2012.
