Medical Travel

Medical Tourism is a growing world-wide phenomenon that is reshaping healthcare in the 21st century. Medical Tourism (also known as Medical Travel, Health Travel, and Global Health) is the process wherein an individual travels (typically overseas) for medical care.

This concept is not new as that throughout history wealthy individuals from developing countries have often traveled to more modern countries seeking the highest-quality medical care available. For example, recent history has seen affluent foreigners traveling to renowned U.S. medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and the Cleveland Clinic (just to name a few), as well as to the many fine medical institutions of Western Europe, because of their high-quality healthcare and their exceptional reputations.

Today there is a new trend in medical travel and it is that individuals from developed countries, such as the U.S., Canada, and those of Western Europe are now traveling to developing countries, like Costa Rica, India, and Singapore for medical care. What are the reasons for this trend? The simple answers are Accessibility, Affordability, and Quality.

Accessibility & Affordability

In developed countries there seems to be an inverse relationship between Accessibility & Affordability that makes it difficult for many to receive quality healthcare. For example, in the United States quality healthcare can be found in many places, but with estimated 48 million individuals without health insurance and an additional unaccounted millions more that are under-insured, it is not often affordable. Without insurance individuals are left to pay for healthcare out-of-pocket and at list prices which in the U.S. is typically quite expensive.

In addition, those that do have insurance are seeing their premiums increase every year at rates faster than inflation and their wages. This increase combined with ever-decreasing benefits has forced many to look elsewhere for healthcare. In developed countries with nationalized healthcare systems, such as the U.K. and Canada the issue is slightly different, but with the same result.

Affordability is not an issue to the individual, but it is to the State which is the single payer. This perpetual funding chase by the State sometimes has the individuals finding themselves on unbearably long waiting lists or they are simply denied eligibility for certain medical procedures due to health, age, or fitness limitations due to medical rationing. In other cases the nationalized healthcare systems simply do not offer some medical treatments because of cost.

The summary in both situations is that affordability of healthcare directly affects its accessibility regardless of who is paying. This is evidenced by the fact that in 2007 an estimated 750,000 Americans left the US for exotic destinations such as Costa Rica, India, and Singapore seeking lower-cost medical alternatives. It is estimated in Deloitte’s 2008 report on Medical Tourism that the number of U.S. medical tourists will increase to six million by 2010 and reach 10 million by 2012. In addition, medical tourism is expected to be a $40-billion business globally by 2010, with over 780 million patients seeking care outside their home country.

Quality

With cost savings on Healthcare of 40%-80% of U.S. list prices, one can easily see why this trend is expected to grow. But what does cost-savings matter if it is without Quality? Well, Quality is why this trend is expected to grow. Clearly the demand is supported by the trends discussed above, but the growth in High-Quality Healthcare Providers internationally, primarily in less-developed countries, has been the driver. Throughout the world today, increasingly one is able to find modern, high-quality healthcare and this is evidenced by the boom in JCI-accredited institutions.

Joint Commission International (JCI) is a division of the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S. For JCI to accredit international providers, the providers must meet standards similar to those in the U.S., though they may be slightly adjusted for legal and cultural reasons particular to each country.

Health Choices International Health Choices International (772) 539.9346 U.S. +(506) 8896.3214 Costa Rica info@healthchoicesinternational.com

Please feel free to contact us if you have a question regarding Medical Travel/Tourism. Allow us to help you plan your medical travel in Central America’s tropical paradise, Costa Rica.