Medical Tourism: The New Surgical Option

Aah. Summertime. The smell of coconut sunscreen, laughing children, and vacations. And for some, a time for that surgery they've been putting off. Say what???

Healthcare expenditures have reached epidemic proportions here in the United States. It's fairly common knowledge that certain procedures can be performed in other countries for a third of the cost or less than stateside. However, most insurance companies wouldn't cover the costs or would charge more for out-of-network costs. That is about to change.

Insurance companies are enterprising entities. If there is a market for something and they can make a profit at it, they can be quite innovative in coming up with programs to cater to their clients' needs. Enter Medical Tourism, the next "big" thing. Medical tourism combines the need for lower cost for common surgical procedures with the American desire to travel to exotic locales. Already offered by non-insurance companies, many of the big insurance companies seem ready to dive in. There is a conference this September in San Francisco to discuss just such an endeavor. The participants are the insurance companies' "A-list" of top carriers. Once waiting on the sidelines, the insurance industry seems ready to commit.

So, what exactly is Medical Tourism and why should we be interested? It's helpful to first address common misperceptions against foreign medical care in order to look at its benefits. For some people, the thought of having surgery in a foreign country where you don't speak the language entails visions of operations in dirty back alleys. Worse, instead of having your diseased gallbladder removed, they remove a kidney to sell on the black market. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To find the truth, I went to Mr. Dwight Mazzone, a manager with Clinica Terra Ltd., a member of the Medical Tourism Association. "The truth is that such prestigious hospitals and schools such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical School have international arms in other countries," according to Mr. Mazzone. Additionally, many of the doctors have trained in the U.S. All hospitals are accredited by a major accreditation process. Some studies have shown that the rates for mortality (death) and infection are reduced compared to U.S. levels. As far as having care where you don't speak the language, if you speak English, you'll get along fine. In fact, according to Mr. Mazzone, some of the hospitals are akin to 5-star hotels, complete with their own Starbucks!

Another reason to look at medical tourism can be illustrated by the following example. A young man with a chronic hip condition was told he needed a full hip replacement. Besides not having the funds to pay for the surgery, he didn't relish being out of work for the lengthy recovery period required for that type of invasive surgery. He instead opted to go out of the country via Medical Tourism and had his hipbone planed (shaved off the rough spots) laparascopically (minimally invasive surgery). He was back to work in much less time than he would have been had he opted for the hip replacement, he saved money and he got to see Thailand to boot!

Of course, as with anything, medical tourism is not all wine and roses. Unlike the U.S., generally you can't sue the surgeon if something goes wrong. The key, according to industry sources, is to be upfront with the doctor about everything in your background. Also, medical tourism currently is not offered through major insurance companies, although this fall that may change.

Bottom line is if you've always wanted to go see Singapore, but you've been prevented because of pending surgery, why not do both? With Medical Tourism, you can.

Until next time stay healthy!