Medical Tourism

[SanFranciscan]

I am wondering here whether someone can help me with some research that I am doing on medical tourism.

Since health care has been in the news so heavily in the United States for years now while the number of U.S. citizens traveling outside their homeland to obtain medical care has been growing, I am very curious whether that includes anybody here. If so, would you mind sharing your experiences? Where did you go? Did you feel safe returning to the United States while the doctor who had treated you remained in the country which you were leaving? Was there a significant savings by getting treatment outside of your homeland?

I am wondering about the whole idea of medical "tourism" since there are apparently professionals who are seeking to promote medical treatment as a form of vacation. I am wondering how many people actually feel like sightseeing while they are recovering. Did you?

 

[bcla]

Mostly this is done because people are either uninsured or underinsured. Some of it would be voluntary or cosmetic surgery.

The most interesting I've heard of is the Amish who generally don't have insurance and don't typically get checkups. They will seek medical care for a serious condition and after local diagnosis many actually travel to Mexico to receive the most expensive care. While I suppose some will fly, most seem to get to Mexico by train. I understand that Los Angeles Union Station is frequently used by the Amish and Mennonites.

http://amishamerica.com/do-amish-visit-doctors/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114048909124578710.html

For decades, Anabaptist communities have pooled resources to pay for medical care. But as the cost of a modern-day hospital stay has skyrocketed, cost-sharing has often fallen short. "A man's barn burns down, you can replace it with donated labor in an afternoon. You can't do that with a hospital bill," says Sam Stoltzfus, who farms near Gordonville, Pa. About a third of Anabaptist community resources go to cover health-care costs, he estimates.

Many Pennsylvania Anabaptists who are stretched financially take trains to Tijuana, where private hospitals and clinics usually charge far less than the top rates at Pennsylvania hospitals. After the Anabaptists' busy November wedding season, travel usually picks up in early December. Even though travel expenses can run to $4,000 a person, Anabaptist patients say they save money. "Going to Mexico also provides a little diversion," says Donald Kraybill, a sociologist at Pennsylvania's Elizabethtown College who specializes in Anabaptists. "People who spend their lives in rural settings like to go to a motel sometimes, watch cable TV and eat in a restaurant."

My dad has gotten some dental work done while on vacation. The work is as good as in the US and the price he pays is considerably less than he'd pay here with his insurance.

 

[powellrj]

I looked into when I had my knees replaced because it was a hot topic at the time. I decided that it was worth the extra money to have it done in the states since I could recover at home and not in a hotel. For an out-patient I might consider it, but not for something major.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have a neighbor who has all his dental work done in Peru (he has family there he visits every year). It appears to all be top notch work and its done at a fraction of what it would be in the states.

When I had to have a root canal and crown I paid about $3000 (most of it covered by insurance). He paid less than $1000 (I believe it was around $800) for a root canal and crown in Peru.

 

[GadgetTheInventor]

The type of care really depends on where you get treated. I was under the impression that some countries like India have dedicated hospitals with top-notch facilities that cater exclusively to Westerners. Cuba has dedicated facilities that are popular with Europeans.

It also depends on what condition you are being treated for and how many other rich folks are being treated there too.

I have had less than stellar experiences with Mexico's health care system and wouldn't recommend it for anything for my family, not even the best doctors there (which I have dealt with one of the best), if someone can afford care domestically.

For example, the scanning machines are older and give many false positives or miss areas of disease all together....like how Soarin' has fuzzy dirt spots and a new HD version won't.

I could go on for hours and hours with negative stories. The reality for many uninsured or underinsured people though is that it is either that medical care or none.

 

[Burnedout]

Many of the docs in cities like alga dones, Mexico, are Americans, were educated in america and choose to work across the border due to the absurd malpractice costs here. So it pays to research.

I gained and lost a lot of weight after one of my pregnancies and would love to have a tummy tuck. I may go down there to do it for 1/3 of the cost.

 

[dawnhaze]

I have two friends who've traveled abroad to have sex reassignment surgery because their US-based insurance policies didn't cover it. One went to Thailand and the other went to India. They both said they felt very safe and were cared for in modern facilities. I've seen photos of the places they went and the pics could easily be of any major hospital here in NYC. I know for a fact they both saved a TON of money, even when factoring in airfare and hotel stays. And their surgeons abroad communicated their post-op needs to their doctors back in the states via email, so continuity of care wasn't a big issue.

Personally, I have great fear and anxiety relating to medical treatment and I don't think I could have anything more invasive than a vaccination done in a strange place without freaking out.