Medical Travel Abroad in Financially Beneficial Choice

Posted on 26. Sep, 2011 by admin in Articles

Traveling abroad for medical procedures, whether elective or necessary, can save you money, even if there is a need to stay in country for a period of time.

Traveling abroad to have elective minor cosmetic or dental procedures, costly fertility treatments, or major medical surgery can save you money, even if you have to stay in country for a lengthy period of time.

Medical tourism is a new trend in health care, not to mention one of the fastest growing healthcare industries, where patients choose to travel outside the United States for medical procedures.

The primary factor in medical tourism is cost, plain and simple. For the underinsured and uninsured, medical tourism provides choices in quality medical care at more affordable prices that they cannot get in the United States. Even with travel expenses included, patients still come out well ahead in out-of-pocket expenses. For those where money is not an issue, medical tourism is appealing due to the exotic locales available, and for the premiere accommodations and services offered.

While the type of procedures offered abroad is lengthy, a Journal of General Internal Medicine report found that orthopedic, cardiac, infertility, and cosmetic procedures the most common forms of care sought. And the list of countries where medical tourism is an option is mind-boggling. From our neighbors to the south in Central and South America, to Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania, you have a wealth of nations to choose from. You can have heart bypass surgery in Thailand, dental implants in Costa Rica, or a hip replacement in India.

While a significant number travel abroad due to lack of insurance, or because they are uninsured, insurance companies are starting to jump on the medical tourism bandwagon, allowing patients to travel abroad for certain surgical procedures and reimbursing them for getting medical care overseas.

The Medical Tourism Association lists several incentives that employers can offer employees in medical tourism programs. They include: waiving deductibles or co-insurance payments, paying for travel expenses (for the patient, and often for a companion), cash incentives, and a rebate of a percentage of the savings. Make sure you check with your insurer to see if this is available with your own policy.

Obtaining health care in foreign countries is, according to the book Patients Beyond Borders by Josef Woodman, less costly for a number of reasons: standards of living are more modest, doctors and staff command lower wages, government-subsidized health care keeps private health care costs down, and malpractice attorneys are, if not docile, at least considerably more restrained. A fortuitous confluence of actions that allow medical tourism to flourish across the world.

One recommendation made by Woodman is the $6,000 Rule. “A good monetary barometer of whether your medical trip is financially worthwhile is….if your total quote for treatment in the U.S, is $6,000 or more (including consultations, procedure, hospital stay and follow-up), you’ll probably save money by traveling abroad.

The sampling of costs and comparisons listed below, supplied by Patients Without Borders, are averages, culled from their extensive research. The U.S. rates reflect some discounts available to uninsured patients.

Cosmetic Procedures

Elective procedures, such as facelift and rhinoplasty, are rarely covered by insurance companies. In the United States, you can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $14,500 to have a facelift and $8,000 for a nose job. But traveling to nearby Costa Rica could save you $5,000 to $10,000, where the procedure cost is 4,800 and $3,400, respectively. Even after the cost of a plane ticket ($503 from LAX, $470 from NY) and a few nights in a hotel, you still come out ahead by a few thousand dollars.

For an Asian tropical destination, you can head to Thailand, where the costs are the same for the procedures, although the airfare will be closer to $2,000 for the same time period. Rather head over to Turkey? Flights are about $1,000, with procedures costing $4,700 and $3,400. With the money you save, you could tack on another few weeks in these destinations and come home rested and relaxed (and looking a wee bit younger).

Weight Loss Surgery

If you are looking into weight loss surgery, such as a gastric bypass, your insurance may cover the procedure. If it does, you are still on the hook for deductibles and co-pays; if it doesn’t, then traveling to have the procedure done could be a good option.

What costs $25,000 in the U.S. is generally about 50 percent cheaper in destinations such as Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea, and averages as low as $6,800 in India and $8,200 in Malaysia. Your plane fare will be between $1,000 and $2,000, and your stay will be longer than a simple facelift, but even with those added on, you should come out ahead.

Infertility Treatment

Treating infertility has become big business in the United States, with prices upwards of $15,000 per IVF cycle. Rather than taking out a second mortgage, you can travel to several dozen countries and have the treatment done for as little as $3,300. Sticking close to home, you can go to Costa Rica ($4,400) or Mexico ($4,600). Heading farther afield, you can travel to India ($3,300) or Taiwan ($4,800). Or for that same $15,000, you can head to Turkey or Singapore ($9,500), have the procedure and travel on to other Asian or Mediterranean destinations for a holiday.

Major Surgical Procedures

The best medical bargains can be had for serious surgeries such as a coronary artery bypass graft or valve replacement with bypass. In India, these procedures are 10 to 15 percent of the cost you would pay in the United States. Just $8,500 for a valve replacement as opposed to $85,000 in the U.S. Knee and hip replacements also offer cost savings, in the neighborhood of 50 to 70 percent cheaper.

As with any surgical procedure, due diligence is necessary. You need to educate yourself about the procedure and when investigating medical providers abroad, you may want to employ a medical tourism facilitator.

Medical tourism facilitators are also a new breed; assisting patients, employers, and insurers in finding trusted overseas facilities. The advantage of using a facilitator is their expertise and knowledge, and referrals to accredited and certified foreign providers. Reputable firms have a rigorous process for screening doctors, clinics and hospitals abroad, which often includes on-site visits in addition to extensive research.

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While medical tourism options can be a do-it-yourself project, many feel safer having someone oversee all the details necessary to ensure a safe procedure, from the time you leave home until you return again.

Tags: Cosmetic Surgery Abroad, Dental Surgery Choices, Healthcare Travel, Infertility Treatment in Medical Tourism, joint replacement surgery, Medical Procedures, medical tourism, Saving Healthcare Cost