FAQ – Benefits of Medical Tourism

WHAT IS MEDICAL TOURISM?

Medical Tourism is the generally accepted phrase used to describe the act of people traveling outside their home country for medical care, dentistry and surgical procedures.

WHO ARE MEDICAL TOURISTS?

In the past medical tourists were the affluent, those who could afford to travel abroad to receive the best medical care in Europe and the United States. Many wealthy people still travel to distant countries to obtain the most advanced care at specialized institutions. However medical tourism is quickly becoming a solution for anyone seeking to obtain the best care at affordable prices as the advancements in medical care have spread around the globe. The standards of medical care and quality of facilities in many the major metropolitan areas of the world are now comparable to those in the United States and Europe, while costs in many areas are much lower. Medical tourism as it pertains to Americans and Canadian is largely an issue of finding immediate access to affordable care. 

Medical tourists today come from all walks of life. In common, they have a need for affordable, high quality care or surgery that is beyond their financial means or unavailable to them at home.

FOR WHOM IS MEDICAL TOURISM A GOOD OPTION?

Medical tourism is an option worth exploring for anyone who is facing significant out-of-pocket expenses for health care. In the United States by most estimates there are more than 45 million uninsured persons and many millions more whose insurance does not cover certain medical procedures. Many people have preexisting medical conditions and face the fact that their insurance will not pay for necessary procedures.

Medical tourism is also a viable option for all individuals considering any elective surgery not covered by insurance. Specifically the demand for high quality, lower cost cosmetic surgery and dentistry has been the driving force behind the exponential growth of medical tourism originating in the United States and Canada in the past few years.

Going abroad for care is also a reasonable choice for patients who need special care not available to them locally. Some hip resurfacing procedures for example have been performed in India for years but have only recently been approved in the United States. The use of silicone gel breast implants sought by many cosmetic surgery patients has been restricted for years in the United States but they are widely available in the rest of the world. Procedures related to fertility, stem cell research and organ transplantation also draw a number of patients from around the world.

Many medical procedures and therapies that are still undergoing FDA approval are available abroad – often many years before they become available in the United States.

Medical Tourism can also be an option worth considering for those living in countries with what many call “rationed” health care. In Canada and the United Kingdom patients can face waiting periods of up to two years for a surgery. Medical tourism provides an affordable and immediate solution to their surgical need.

In the UK and Canada, “this inconvenient forced wait” is applicable to a large number of orthopedic surgeries that cause great pain and require extensive wait times before local health care is made available to patients.

IS MEDICAL TOURISM SAFE?

Generally when people ask if going abroad for surgery is “safe” the short answer is yes. In general it is safe as it is at home – with the proviso that the patient does his or her homework and picks a good doctor or surgeon and facility and plans the trip wisely.

As is the case in the United States, everywhere in the world and in every profession, there are those that provide excellent care and those that provide poor service and care. This is what a good medical tourism facilitator is supposed to do, “provide access to the best care in foreign countries”.

WHAT ARE THE PRICES?

Prices for medical services vary from country to country and no medical decision should ever be made solely based on costs. Compared to the United States prices range from about 50 percent to 70 percent less depending on where one goes. A heart valve replacement that costs $50,000 in the United States, will cost $10,000 in India including travel costs and accommodations. A knee replacement that costs $50,000 in the USA will cost $9,500 in Costa Rica.  Again, a prospective patient has a range of options – including price – when deciding where to go. 

WHY IS MEDICAL CARE IN SOME COUNTRIES SO CHEAP?

Medical care outside of the U.S. and the so-called developed nations of the world is less expensive for much the same reasons it is less expensive to produce DVD players or textiles abroad. The cost of every aspect of care is less. They have less expensive land, it is less expensive to put up a building, they have lower labor costs, lower taxes, lower administrative costs, lower insurance rates and so on. It is a mistake to single out any one thing as being responsible for the difference. It is the sum of many related factors that are responsible for the much lower costs.

WHAT ARE THE HOSPITALS AND FACILITIES LIKE?

In general hospitals and other medical facilities that cater to international patients pride themselves on meeting the highest international standards and even compete with each other to offer amenities. Many are new. Information on them is widely available on the Internet. However,  in the case of smaller practices – for example some of those for cosmetic surgery or dentistry – it is particularly important to get independent reviews or first-hand accounts from patients who have been there before.  This does not mean that there are no cultural differences, no surprises in store (pleasant or otherwise). But major international hospitals and well-known medical facilities around the world adhere to comparable medical standards and often exceed the aftercare and experiential standards offered in the US and other developed countries. 

ARE THE DOCTORS AND SURGEONS QUALIFIED?

The schooling, training and board certification processes for physicians and surgeons are comparable from country to country. Many surgeons overseas have trained in the United States or Europe, just as many doctors in the United States and Europe have had some part of their training abroad.  Ultimately each hospital that caters to Medical Tourism has its own credentialing and standards and should be evaluated on an individual basis. Many hospitals and doctors have received international accreditation and can be evaluated quickly and easily if this is the case. 

WHAT MEDICAL SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?

Virtually any medical procedure – from the simplest to the most serious life-saving procedures are available. This is not to say that all services are available everywhere at uniformly high quality everywhere. India for example has perhaps the best reputation for heart surgery in the world. The quality of plastic surgery is renowned in Costa Rica and sought after internationally.

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SURGERY PERFORMED ABROAD. WILL MY HEALTH INSURANCE COVER ME IF I HAVE COMPLICATIONS?

Quite possibly it will not. One of the things that anyone who is contemplating surgery abroad should do is check with their insurance company on what care if any is covered under this circumstance.  Some medical tourists may wish to buy additional insurance. Those without insurance should make sure they have the resources to extend their trip in the event of complications until they are fit to travel. 

Some of the top international hospitals will provide corrective care or damages in the case of medical malpractice or undesirable outcomes. Patients should ask each hospital that they are considering about their particular policies.

WHAT IS COMPLICATIONS INSURANCE

A recent option that provides additional security and financial insurance for patients is “complications insurance”. This is an optional insurance policy that covers the cost of medical care and travel in the event of a complication resulting from the medical procedure or surgery.

CAN I FINANCE MY PROCEDURE?

Several finance companies exist that will finance the cost of a procedure and travel expenses. These are typically installment loans and have terms from 3 to 7 years. Usually loan fees and points are charged along with interest on the loan.