Medical Tourism: Outsourcing Your Health
Why don’t people outsource pricey medical operations?
Over the past twenty years, outsourcing has grown from an eccentric decision to an efficient and economic business staple. Companies small and large outsource their accounting, manufacturing, and customer service to emerging economies such as China and India. When a trend (outsourcing) is successful in one industry, it’s natural for it to spread to other fields (medical procedures), or at least attempt to.
The answer to my initial question is they CAN and they ARE…often with very positive experiences.
Although medical tourism is a growing global industry, it is hardly a new practice. Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to Epidauria (100 miles SE of Athens), the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios, seeking health. In 2006, roughly 500,000 Americans traveled abroad for major surgeries to countries where the cost of living is comparably lower, but the medical methods and technology are modern. Some U.S companies and insurers have gone so far to advocate their employees and clients become medical tourists, in effort to cut back their own bills. As long as universal healthcare remains a national mystery and a global deficiency, the notion of medical tourism in emerging countries will continue to spread. This is yet another example of the flattening world we live in.
While the AARP article understandably focuses on life threatening procedures (hip replacement surgery, bypass surgery, etc.), medical tourism spans the vainer world of aesthetic treatments (a.k.a. cosmetic surgery).
If you trek to Brazil for discount breast augmentation, must you declare the implants in customs upon your return home?
Caveats
• Routine follow-ups are made difficult, although medical records can be transferred to one’s local physician.
• Support from friends and family plays a large role in aiding the fragile post surgery psyche. Traveling thousands of miles away will inevitably reduce the number of “Get Well Soon” balloons in the patient’s room.
• If medical procedures go poorly, especially tricky aesthetic operations, foreign doctors are not held to the same legal liabilities.
Whether you want to feel younger (hip replacement) or just appear younger (face-lift), trekking abroad to go under the knife gives your savings a rest and affords you another reason to check out a new country. “My trip to Goa was amazing! On Thursday I had eye surgery and on Friday I witnessed the most astonishing sunset I’ve seen in decades…”
Would you ever consider “killing two birds with one stone” by throwing a major surgery into your travel itinerary?
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9 Responses
Interesting post. I think the cosmetic surgeries you list are the best candidates for the “two for one” trip you suggest.
From what I underdstand, Kango is going to be a travel site. If Kango follows the suggestion of your post, will it soon be providing information about the best “two for one” surgeries and the best rates? Will people be able to turn to Kango for the tips on who does the best breast implants in Rio?
Interesting to see that most countries charge more for breast reduction than breast augmentation. Does that mean those countries think it’s more valuable or that they are trying to discourage one over the other?
Roger: Kango’s mission is to cover all things related to travel. With 500,000 Americans traveling abroad for surgery last year, maybe we should look into it.
Cam: I think reduction is more technical than augmentation, as the surgeon actually has remove tissue and dare I say “shape”. Not an expert here.
It’s funny of all the things mentioned in the post, you two creative gentlemen commented on breast implants.
Thanks for this insightful and interesting article. Only yesterday I was discussing the “National Mystery” of universal health care with some friends. Two of my friends were comparing their experiences with doctors and in hospitals in France and Italy. They were not medical tourists, but the need arose during the trip. They spoke very highly of the care they received.
Another benefit to overseas plastic surgery is the recovery period during which one might not like to be seen by friends or family to avoid questions like “were you in a fight?” This refers to the face lift, not lifts in other body parts.
I can also imagine an advertising tag line for breast augmentation in Brazil: “Look what I found in Rio!” Keep in mind that topless sunbathing is quite common here.
great point, perhaps the high cost of US operations makes up for the body of laws that protect us from medical malpractice. this is no argument against the quality of foreign health care, but it is an inquiry of the legally binding statute of laws that hold the doctor to his work.
I’ve never been a big fan of plastic surgery, unless re constructive, but if i had to get my breasts done I would elect to go with the U.S. surgeon knowing that he or she would be held liable for the completion of such a contract.
There is no doubt that this industry will continue to grow regardless of what the politicians in the US or the UK do. There will always be a market for Elective procedures overseas, and the FDA often gets in the way of specific procedures. Even if the Democrats in the US implement some type of Universal Health program, it will take time to implement and will not be free of major defects.
There is no doubt that this is one of the last frontiers of the “world is flat” phenomenon.
We’ve read about it, heard about it, and even talked about it. But how many of us know someone who has gone on a health vacation to India? Anyone ever come back from Thailand with a new hip? Is there any forum where real people can discuss real medical tourism issues.
Medical Tourism is not a bad idea at all and it is definitely on the increase. The USA health system will definitely suffer the most
Last time I checked, India was far cheaper then any other country. Did I miss a decade or so. Prices above list other price differences?!