Issues With Medical Tourism

Posted by Anthony Lee Mar 28, 2009

In countries where skyrocketing healthcare costs are a problem, such as the United States, one option is becoming more attractive: medical tourism. This involves traveling to other countries where medical care is much cheaper. In addition, there are services that provide accommodations for medical tourists, such as lodging and travel arrangements. Supporters of medical tourism like to mention both the cheap medical treatment and the pleasures of travel.

Of course, medical tourism is something that is debated within the medical community. There is certainly the issue of medical costs and whether measures can be taken to reduce them domestically and cut the need for medical tourism. In addition, records of treatment abroad may be separate from the medical records accessible by the patient's primary care doctor. Things might get complicated if detailed information about the treatment abroad is needed and they are not easy to obtain. Finally, even if the advertised services sound promising, one should still be wary that nothing is 100% certain.

My stance on medical tourism is very much like that of other things not yet considered standard of care. I advise caution and the need to weight the risks and benefits, even though I acknowledge that the choice lies in your hands. Over time, I will keep an eye on this new trend and reevaluate my stance accordingly.