Curative Tourism and its Varying Costs

Curative or Medical Tourism is when people travel from their native country to another nation to receive any type of medical care, such as surgical, dental, etc. People usually travel to distant countries because of better facilities, accessibility, and affordability of medical care. People also travel domestically, i.e., within their region or nearby states to access better health facilities, and this is called Domestic Medical Tourism. 

Cost of Medical Tourism

At present, curative tourism is a multibillion-dollar, worldwide industry that is likely to grow multi-fold in the coming years. A person travelling across the globe to access better medical care is likely to pay attention to the cost that he/she should expect to incur. Medical expenses are usually a huge point of worry for the majority of individuals, which is why they’re willing to travel great distances in the first place. The expected expenditure is likely to drive the choice of country and institution that a patient will potentially look into. 

The healthcare costs in developed countries such as the U.S., England, etc are soaring every year. Many countries from across the globe have started seeing the financial benefits of medical tourism as an emerging market. Many countries such as Israel, Thailand, India, etc. offer premium medical services such as Heart Valve Replacement, Face Lift, etc. at very low prices. More and more insurance companies and employers have started viewing medical tourism as a means to lower their expenses.

Even though the prices and costs keep fluctuating because of currency value and inflation, here are rough estimates of the medical costs of a few medical procedures. Surgery costs are about 30 to 70 percent lower amongst the developing countries that usually promote medical tourism, as compared to the United States. While Heart Bypass surgery can cost up to $123,000 in the United States of America, the same procedure would cost $28,000 and $27,000 in Israel and Costa Rica, respectively. Similarly, an Angioplasty would cost approximately $28,200 in the U.S., while it would cost about $7,500 and $10,400 in Israel and Mexico, respectively.

The primary reason why hospitals and clinics in under-developed countries can offer these premium medical services at lower prices is related directly to the nation's financial well being. Some reasons other than the costs could be the climate itself - special atmospheric constituents, such as humidity, barometric pressure, temperature, sunshine, etc. The Dead Sea, for example, is seen as a major health centre for treatment and research because of its abundant health benefits that are totally natural.