New York Times, 16 october 2006
Travelling to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Costa Rica and India for medical and dental treatments cost about 20 to 80% less than at US
A growing number of Americans are traveling to countries like Thailand, Costa Rica and Malaysia for cosmetic, orthopedic and heart surgeries and other medical and dental treatments that cost 20 to 80 per cent less than at home.
The number of these travelers varies, depending on whom you ask, but there is no doubt that health travel is growing, hastened by the fact that 46 million Americans are uninsured and that health insurance costs are soaring.
In Bangkok, Bumrungrad International Hospital counts 55,000 American patients a year. It describes itself online to visitors much the way a hotel would, with photographs of rooms, lists of surgery prices and amenities for patients, like laptop computer rentals and secretarial services.
In Costa Rica, construction is under way on new medical retreats — basically hotels with nurses and medical amenities to help patients recuperate from surgery. In India, hospitals are sprouting that offer foreigners fine dining, marble bathrooms and manicured lawns. The hospitals promote the fact that they have credentialed physicians and a one-to-one ratio of nurses and patients.
Yet going overseas for medical care is not without risks. Life-threatening complications, possible with any surgery anywhere, can arise far from home, and medical travel brochures don’t always adequately inform consumers of standards for hospitals, medical providers and post-operative care.
