No Medical Insurance? Dr. Gupta CNN Interview on Getting Care Outside of the U.S., India

Medical Tourism - Savings, Shorter Waits, Quality and Relaxing Recovery Are Making It Popular

MedicalTourismGuide.org says that in 2005 over 500,000 Americans went outside of the country for medical procedures. Procedures from cardiac surgeries to orthopedic surgeries cost a fraction of the price that people pay in the United States. For patients who have pre-existing conditions that prevent them from getting medical insurance coverage, medical tourism offers a way out of a situation that can seem hopeless. Twelve reasons why medical tourism is popular are described at the MedicalTourismGuide.org website and you can order a guide on it.

The benefits and risks are explained, and there is a list of the most popular destinations with links to informative websites for each country. The benefits include savings, shorter waits for surgeries, quality and a more relaxing recovery time in the hospital (while here in the U.S. you'll usually have a much shorter recovery time available in the hospital) and luxurious hospital accommodations for both yourself and your companion. The risks include the issue that if something goes wrong you won't have the same situation regarding malpractice suits that you have in the U.S.

It's important to do in-depth research, and if possible get referrals to others who have had similar operations at a facility that you are considering, so you can see if they recommend it. Knowing someone else's experiences in advance can help you plan and prepare.

Checking the hospital's accreditation and the doctor's background can also help you to make an informed decision. You can check with the JointCommissionInternational.org to see which overseas hospitals are accredited.

The savings are so substantial, over paying for surgeries in the United States, that even after paying for the airline flight the savings are still large.

Uninsured? WorldMedAssist.com, Healthbase.com, and MedRetreat.com Provide Medical Tourism Info

Board certified physicians trained in the United States are available overseas at a fraction of U.S. prices at places such as Anadola Medical Center, India. Anadola is associated with Johns Hopkins (voted best hospital in the United States by U.S. News and World Report for the past 16 years.) At JointCommissionInternational.org you can read about international accreditation for hospitals outside the U.S. In the United States surgery for a heart valve is estimated at $100,000 at the WorldMedAssist.com website, but abroad it's estimated at only $12,000. A spinal surgery for total disk replacement in the U.S. is listed at $120,000 but overseas at $12,000.

At the many websites for medical tourism you can get information about the hospitals, procedures, prices, process of traveling for medical care, accreditations, and passport information. You can go to WorldMedAssist.com, healthbase.com, medretreat.com, or one of the other sites listed when you search for medical tourism to learn more.

The differences in prices between the U.S. and other countries are available. I found the following figures at WorldMedAssist.com.


knee replacement - U.S. $35,000, outside U.S. $7,000
hip replacement, $60,000, $7,000
rotator cuff surgery $35,000 $5,000
heart bypass $80,000 $8,500
angioplasty $60,000 $8,500
spine fusion $100,000 $7,000

Medical tourism hospitals often have large private rooms to accommodate the patient and a traveling companion. After surgery the patient has a longer period of time available to recover in the hospital and can stay in a nearby international level hotel for follow up and physical therapy before returning home.

Medical Tourists Heading for Hospital Angeles, Tijuana, Mexico for Care at a Fraction of the Cost in the U.S.

The video below explains that Hospital Angeles, Tijuana, Mexico, has become one of the destinations for medical tourists. United States residents who are not insured, or who are underinsured, need only travel about 23 miles across the border south of San Diego to obtain surgeries at prices that are a fraction of the cost in the U.S.

Uninsured? Need Surgery? At Wockhardt Hospital, India, JCO Accredited and Harvard Medical Associated, It's Usually 1/5 the Cost

This video about the JCO accredited and Harvard Medical associated Wockhardt Hospital, India, explains the high level of specialized care and low costs of having surgery there. Surgery often costs only 1/5 of what it would run in the U.S. For instance, a $40,000 surgery might only be $8,000. People who are underinsured, without insurance, or who do not wish to wait long periods of time for surgery in Canada or the U.K. are flying to the highly rated Wockhardt Hospital for their medical care. Medical Tourists are heading to India for care.

AARP: Can't Afford Surgery in United States? 500,000 Americans Went Overseas for Treatment in 2006

AARP has an article titled "Traveling for Treatment - Soaring U.S. Health Costs Are Driving More Americans Abroad For Medical Treatment, " by Anthony Mecir and Katharine Greider, Sept. 2007. For many people going overseas is the only affordable way to get the surgery they need without bankrupting their savings. For example, one couple gave up their medical insurance when the premiums were over $1,000 per month. They flew to New Delhi, India, where instead of costing $40,000 to $60,000, a hip surgery plus the travel expenses cost $15,000.

People who cannot obtain or cannot afford insurance due to pre-existing conditions may not have a choice if they need a knee replacement, hip surgery, prostrate or other surgery. The medical tourism websites say that people may save from 30% to 80% of the cost by going outside of the United States for surgery.

For example, Bumrungrad, Thailand, has a JCI accredited hospital with state of the art equipment. English is spoken more often there than any other language. The article said the 45 to 65 year old group, including self-employed people without medical insurance, early retirees, and workers who have lost their benefits are among the patients there from the United States.

I have an acquaintance who is unable to obtain medical insurance in the United States due to pre-existing conditions. This person is much too young for Medicare, but needs a knee replacement due to wear and tear for many years following a knee reconstruction.

A chart at the website We Care Health Services compares prices of surgeries in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. A total knee replacement in the United States can cost $30,000, and in India the chart lists it at $7600. Bypass surgery in the United States is $35,000 and in India $6,500.

If someone without insurance must pay out of their savings for surgery, overseas surgery may be the only option left. The article said people who have never traveled or had a passport have gone overseas for treatment due to financial necessity.

There are precautions one can take, such as checking for JCI, Joint Commission International Hospital Accreditation Program. You can check for overseas hospitals that have a large number of U.S. trained, board certified, medical doctors, and state of the art equipment.

The website at Med Journeys has information about costs and savings, surgical procedures, doctors, hospitals, and other pertinent information.

For those who are self-employed, who have lost their insurance, and who cannot obtain insurance due to pre-existing conditions, getting an affordable surgery overseas may be the answer.