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The 2000s in America

Medical tourism

by Jack Ewing

Definition: The practice of combining vacation and travel abroad with professional therapeutic or medical care

American doctors and medical facilities are among the best in the world. However, as health care and health insurance costs have spiraled upward in the twenty-first century, American patients are seeking alternatives to meet their medical needs. Medical tourism—also called distance medicine—offers a cost-effective, high-quality option, particularly for those seeking elective surgery.

During the twenty-first century, medical tourism has blossomed. In 2007, some 750,000 Americans journeyed overseas to undergo a variety of procedures—cancer treatments, dental work, organ transplants, or reproductive procedures—at foreign hospitals. Twice as many US patients are expected to visit health care facilities abroad in 2012.

While there are many incentives for patients to seek medical care outside the United States, the primary factor is cost. In the recession-wracked economic climate of the early twenty-first century, many Americans simply cannot afford adequate health insurance and must make partial or full out-of-pocket payments for care. As a result, they cancel regular appointments with doctors, use prescription drugs less often, or postpone treatments to alleviate chronic conditions.

Medical tourism offers a viable alternative for patients, employers, and insurance carriers. Depending upon treatment and location, common medical procedures in foreign environments can save 90 percent or more of the cost at a comparable domestic facility. Low-priced, quality care can be found from Bulgaria to Bolivia. A hip replacement, for example, that might cost $40,000 in the United States, can be accomplished for just $3,000 in India. A full facelift, worth $20,000 in the United States, can be undertaken in South Africa for less than $2,000. A dental bridge that costs more than $5,000 in the United States can be had for $1,000 in Hungary.

A number of organizations help patients who wish to take advantage of overseas savings. Medical tourism packagers assist in matching patient conditions with foreign facilities, arranging travel, documentation, and hotel reservations, and even setting up sightseeing excursions for patients in recovery.

Potential medical tourists should be aware there are certain risks involved with undergoing medical procedures overseas. There may be, for example, local diseases for which patients have no established immunity. Follow-up care is not generally as comprehensive as it is in the United States. And if something should go wrong, a foreign malpractice suit might be extremely complicated, or impossible to undertake. Thorough research is vital for patients to make an informed decision about the pros and cons of seeking health care abroad.

Impact

A rapidly growing industry, medical tourism is expected to expand at an annual rate of more than 30 percent as patients, businesses, and insurance companies become aware of its benefits. To help ensure uniform quality of care, the American Medical Association has advocated a set of guidelines. An official foreign accrediting organization, Joint Commission International (JCI), has also been established. By 2008 JCI had approved more than 220 foreign medical sites worldwide.

Further Reading

1 

Hall, C. Michael, ed. Medical Tourism: The Ethics, Regulation, and Marketing of Health Mobility. London: Routledge, 2012. Print.

2 

Reisman, David. Health Tourism: Social Welfare through International Trade. Northampton: Elgar, 2010. Print.

3 

Woodman, Josef. Patients beyond Borders: Everybody’s Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Travel. Chapel Hill: Healthy Travel, 2008. Print.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Ewing, Jack. "Medical Tourism." The 2000s in America, edited by Craig Belanger, Salem Press, 2013. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=2000_0245.
APA 7th
Ewing, J. (2013). Medical tourism. In C. Belanger (Ed.), The 2000s in America. Salem Press.
CMOS 17th
Ewing, Jack. "Medical Tourism." Edited by Craig Belanger. The 2000s in America. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2025. online.salempress.com.