I remember the first time I read about a new term that was
introduced into our lexicon here in the US recently, called
"medical tourism". I didn't even know there was such a
trend occurring, although as I read further about this
increasingly popular pursuit, it made perfect sense. You
see, here in the US we are facing, and have been facing for
several years now, somewhat of a healthcare crisis.
There are scores more US citizens that are not insured than
are insured at any given time, and that translates into a
lot of people who are paying exorbitant doctors visit,
surgery and treatment fees when they need medical
attention, and an even bigger number of people who simply
don't seek medical attention when they need it because they
know they can't afford it.
Even if you have insurance, the cost of the premiums is
going up higher every year, and even the co-pays are
reaching higher numbers than ever seen.
Today, it is more of a rarety to have "a great insurance
plan" than it was just ten years ago. Add into that, the
fact that here in the US, our physicians, specialists,
plastic surgeons, dentists, psychiatrists, and every other
licensed and practicing medical professional are exposed to
lawsuits that threaten to bankrupt them for malpractice.
Add to that their skyrocketing malpractice insurance
premiums, and you've got a full fledged medical crisis on
your hands.
This is exactly the reason why more and more US citizens
are travelling to get cheaper medical care. Many times,
even after the costs of travel, these citizens are savings
boatloads of money on their medical treatments and
surgeries in other countries with equally well trained
doctors, but a much lower cost.
The medical tourism industry is just now starting to catch
on, and shows signs that it will become a boon for foreign
travel, and may even be a solicited "main attraction" in
many far away destinations, in order to get eager US
citizens to their country, spending money to get medical
and elective care that they otherwise may not be able to
afford here in the US.
It ends up being a great win/win that way, but it still
doesn't take away from the disturbing fact that the US is
experiencing the worst healthcare system crisis in its
history.
The largest industries for medical tourism at the moment
seem to be for the fields of plastic surgery and dentistry.
Many of the South American countries can offer much
cheaper prices for tourists who are coming over to get
procedures that would cost thousands of dollars here in the
US, and to boot, they would be getting the same caliber of
care.
Heck, they even say that some of the best plastic surgeons
in the world practice in Brazil and Costa Rica, where
plastic surgery is a booming business, doctors there are
highly trained and skilled due to experience, and the cost
is often times slashed in half or even better, after US
money exchange rates and the cheaper rate are added in.
Colombia and the Phillipines are both notorious also for
extremely cheap plastic surgery, dentistry, and other types
of health care procedures, and are trying to edge into the
industry to attract more visitors to their countries, which
in turn helps out local economies and opens up a lot of
further tourism development. US citizens aren't the only
ones taking advantage of travelling to get cheaper health
care and surgeries.
Citizens in Britain are also getting in on the action so
they can get access to cheaper dental work, laser eye
surgery, and even bariatric surgery. The business of
cosmetic surgery probably gets the most publicity when it
comes to medical tourism, but there are a lot of other
fields in which one can get medically related services for
a fraction of the cost in these countries that most people
don't know about - yet.
Travelling for medical and surgical care, whether it's
considered elective or not can result in a dramatic price
reduction, you just have to do the research and see if,
added with the costs associated with travelling, it will
actually save you money in your particular case or not.
Of course it's not always going to add up to a dramatic
savings when it's all said and done, so make sure you
thoroughly research and consider all other potential costs
of travelling before you make a final decision.
----------------------------------------------------
Danna Schneider has written articles and reviews on her
experiences with beauty products and procedures, and also
contributes to lip plumper reviews at
http://www.mybeautyspace.com/lip-plump-reviews/ and
http://www.cosmeticsgalore.com/wrinkle-cream-reviews.html ,
where you can find reviews on natural products that are
noninvasive for lip plumping as well as more on anti aging,
wrinkle control and reversal.
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