Hidden Health Costs of Medical Tourism
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photo credit: René Ehrhardt
Medical tourism—the practice of reducing costs by traveling to other countries for expensive healthcare procedures—has become a hot topic as the cost of healthcare has continued to skyrocket in the U.S.
For a while now, the practice of heading to distant countries for the purpose of receiving medical care has been marketed as a way of getting quality treatment while you treat yourself to an exotic vacation. Up until recently, however, medical tourism has generally been a way of getting affordable procedures such as weight-loss or cosmetic surgery. That is about to change, as U.S. health insurance companies begin encouraging certain patients to head to other countries for expensive surgery.
Pilot Medical Tourism Programs by Insurance Carriers
Among the first health insurance carriers to send their members abroad are Aetna and Cigna, both of which are contemplating sending patients to locations such as Thailand, Mexico, Israel, India, and Turkey for more costly procedures.
For both employers and insurance companies, it’s less expensive to offer some medical procedures in such locations — and in some cases, it might even end up cheaper for the patient if deductibles and co-pays permit. It’s no surprise that insurance companies might encourage this practice. It saves them money, meaning they’ve maximized profits.
Hidden Costs for Consumers
But what are the costs to the consumer? The reality is, quality of care can be seriously compromised for people who head off to exotic climes for expensive, potentially risky surgery. But it’s not for the reasons you might think – it’s not necessarily a lack of quality medical professionals, or a lack of quality facilities, although this is certainly an issue in some countries.
Follow-up Healthcare Not Addressed
The biggest and most common problem is simply the issue of getting follow-up care. If you fly to Singapore for surgery then return home, where do you go if you experience complications? That’s if you can even go home after the surgery – many people find themselves forced to recover far from home, after having had to locate and pay for follow-up care and nursing when they least expected it.
The fact is, there is no continuity of care if you must fly to another country for healthcare – your doctor at home isn’t in the best position to help you when your surgery took place in another country entirely.
And the bottom line? By allowing insurance companies to send people overseas for medical treatment, we’re ignoring the real issue: Healthcare is simply too expensive, and until costs come down, individuals will continue to take unnecessary risks if its saves them a few dollars.
