Insured Americans are starting to see some unusual options in their health provider networks: doctors and hospitals in Singapore, Costa Rica and other foreign destinations, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Until recently, most Americans who traveled abroad for medical care were uninsured or were seeking procedures not covered by insurance, such as cosmetic dentistry or aesthetic surgery.

Now, a handful of plans are beginning to cover treatment overseas for heart surgery, hip and knee replacements and other major surgical procedures. While medical tourism isn't expected to be a solution to the country's soaring health care costs, the practice is intended to produce savings for insurers, employers and workers.

Open-heart surgery, which can cost roughly $100,000 in the U.S., can be done at an internationally accredited hospital in India for just $8,500, for instance. To make travel abroad more attractive, plans that offer medical-tourism programs often throw in a bonus for employees if they agree to undergo elective surgeries abroad, or they offer to split the cost savings between the employer and worker. Travel and accommodation costs also are sometimes reimbursed.