Rising healthcare costs are drawing different responses in India and the United States. India's Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has called for greater scrutiny of foreign investment in the direct operation and acquisition of hospitals, warning of aggressive corporatisation and rising healthcare costs. The panel recommended that foreign capital be encouraged in the manufacture of medical devices, consumables, and specialized medicines for rare diseases. Meanwhile, US hospitals and other medical providers are increasingly asking patients to pay before receiving care, collecting more of what patients might owe. The Indian panel's report seeks to balance foreign investment with protections for healthcare affordability, while the US trend reflects providers' efforts to secure payment upfront amid cost pressures.