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subscribeWednesday, June 25, 2008
Fueling Tourism
While Congress is searching for an easy answer for the fuel crisis, many US citizens are heading to Mexico as, what the NY Times has called "gas tourists," due to the still lower pump prices there resulting from government subsidies. Driving further to get cheaper fuel seems like such an "American" tradition. Of course, if you're in New York, you just cross the border to Jersey.
This also reminds us of the different forms of medical tourism (which we have posted about here before), where often wealthy tourists travel for lower cost procedures, or in some cases treatments not available at home.
See our friend Ricardo Miranda Zuniga's investigation of dental tourism along the US-Mexico border.
posted by ryan griffis # 1:04 PM 
Is Medical Tourism for Me? I've heard mixed reviews of medical tourism. Is plastic surgery really safe in Thailand? Are Indian doctors qualified?
In very few instances, the treatments are not available at home, but most of them travel for cheap treatment. You are right, mainly wealthy tourists travel for treatment abroad. Thanks!
# posted by 
Arige Prakash : June 25, 2008 10:14 PM
None of our patients who've traveled for medical care are wealthy. Almost all have no insurance and can't afford the treatment they need near home. If you use a reputable medical tourism company, they will have done extensive research on the facilities they partner with, assuring that your care is as good or better than what you'd find in the U.S. Long waiting lists is another the non-wealthy travel for care. Check out the stories of patients, and you'll see it's not the wealthy at all: http://www.worldmedassist.com/medical_tourism_testimonials.htm
# posted by Robbie : June 26, 2008 4:26 PM
Well, we can't speak for your patients, and we didn't mean to suggest ALL medical tourists were wealthy. And we should have been more selective with our words, since you are right that (lack of) insurance coverage, especially here in the US is certainly a large reason for many to travel for care. However, historically speaking medical tourism has been for the wealthy, and judging by the stories we've read, elective surgeries represent a large number of medical trips. That said, we also didn't mean a value judgment with the adjective "wealthy". More significant to us is the problem of yet another private industry profiting in the role of middle man between people and health care, and of course the ridiculousness of having to fly thousands of miles for treatment. As the cost of travel becomes even less accessible, those who HAVE TO travel for care will be in even more of a mess if the situation doesn't change.
# posted by ryan griffis : June 26, 2008 11:54 PM
Even with the cost of travel increasing, consider this: A Washington state patient saved 95% of the cost for his Cardiac RF Ablation in India. That's leaves a lot of room for travel/fuel price increases
# posted by Robbie : June 27, 2008 12:24 AM
Hard to argue with a $4,500 procedure versus a $70,000 one. But that just begs the question... what explains the price differential? And is that difference sustainable in the end? The glaring ridiculousness of medical tourism as a solution to unaffordable health care is hard to overlook. Should the droves of "middle class" people, now joining the ranks of the uninsured poor, start making sure their passports are up date in the event of a medical emergency, since they can afford a trip to Turkey, but not heart surgery?
And, I have to ask what's with the use of this picture to promote medical tourism in Mexico?
# posted by ryan griffis : June 29, 2008 10:04 PM
Ryan, I have no idea where you found that picture and how it's associated with medical tourism...sure isn't from our site/company.
As to sustainability of price difference, yes, it's sustainable until the U.S. can find a way to get out from under three huge burdens: a) malpractice lawsuits (subject of a whole 'nuther discussion) b) insurance bureaucracy, rates, and paperwork that distracts doctors from practicing medicine and c) outdated technology that's being quilted together with new technology (international destinations building up their medical tourism industry have built brand new hospitals with leading edge technology that many of our hospitals can't afford to do all at once).
# posted by Robbie : July 8, 2008 5:28 PM
Source of the picture. Found it browsing through the link posted on the second comment from robbie.
# posted by ryan griffis : July 8, 2008 9:52 PM
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