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Soaring US medical costs are causing more and more Americans to go abroad for elective and/or major surgeries. The hospitals and physicians are usually first-rate and, amazingly, can provide operations at 10% to 30% of the cost in the US.
The surge in medical tourism over the past decade is being driven by rising US health-care costs and growing numbers of uninsured or under-insured Americans. Almost 45 million Americans - 15% of the population - are currently uninsured.
Forbes gives some examples:
| U.S. Cost $ | India Cost $ | |
| Bone Marrow transplant | 400,000 | 30,000 |
| Liver Transplant | 500,000 | 40,000 |
| Open Heart Surgery | 50,000 | 4,400 |
| Neurosurgery | 29,000 | 8,000 |
| Knee Surgery | 16,000 | 4,500 |
150,000 Americans traveled abroad for health care in 2006, and the number is projected to double in 2007. Among the top destinations: Southeast Asia, India and Mexico.
Medical tourism companies, in collaboration with special "health travel agents" have sprung up across the country, and some insurance plans are participating. As soon as the top insurance companies start to accept foreign hospitals (which they will soon, for the overwhelmingly lower costs) medical migration will start to soar.
Medical tourism companies help travelers find the hospital that provides the procedure or care they need. A growing number of overseas hospitals are accredited under the international arm of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization, which accredits US hospitals and facilities.
