Medical traveling has become very attractive for many reasons.  The price for having medical treatments done abroad can be significantly cheaper and the wait time may be significantly lower.  Medical traveling is no longer limited to merely cheap dental surgery in Mexico or cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica.

Medical abroad now includes an array of procedures including orthopedic surgeries, fertility treatments, and even critical operations such as organ transplants, cancer treatment and cardiac surgeries.

But is surgery abroad for everyone?  It’s clearly not an option if you require emergency care. Though, there are many instances when having your medical procedures done abroad can prove to be very beneficial.  If you are able and willing to make the long travel abroad, which may mean making a 12 to 15 trip, medical traveling may be a good choice for you.

Here are some other things to keep in mind when deciding whether medical abroad would be favorable for you:

1. You do not have insurance. Being without insurance is one of the many reasons one may choose to travel abroad for their medical procedure.  For those without medical insurance, many medical procedures that may be too costly in the United States may actually be within one’s price range if medical traveling is an option.  With medical abroad, savings can be anywhere from 50% to 90% compared to prices here in the United States.
2. You have limited insurance. While many Americans have insurance, their insurance could be limited which would mean that either they are required to come up with a high deductible or co-payments or that the medical care needed is not covered under their particular insurance plan.  In this scenario, being underinsured may be no better than being uninsured and in this circumstance, medical traveling might be the answer for you.
3. The treatment you are seeking is elective. In the United States, most health insurance plans do not cover elective surgeries, and in many cases, health providers will go to any means possible to successfully claim that the procedure needed is elective in order to avoid covering certain treatments.  This is especially true in the case of many cosmetic and dental procedures.  Also, most elective treatments and surgeries are very pricy here in the Unites States.  Therefore, planning your elective surgery abroad may be an option to consider.
4. The treatment you are seeking is not available in your country. Until fairly recently, Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery (BHR) was not available in the United States – because it was not approved by the FDA.  Therefore, many patients from the United States traveled to India for this procedure.  Many patients still prefer to travel to India for this procedure because India is on the forefront for BHR procedures with more experienced and a higher successfully rated doctors in this domain.  This is just one example.  A little research might show that the procedure or treatment not available to you here in the United States, may be offered through alternative medical abroad options.
5. There is a long wait for the treatment you are seeking. Healthcare, especially in the United States, is often backlogged which means there might be an extensive waiting list for the procedure you need.  Waiting for treatment may lead to deterioration in your condition and your quality of life.  The same procedure you might wait a year for in the United States can be planned and performed in a matter of a couple months with medical abroad. 

If you decide that medical tourism may be the answer for you, be sure to do your research carefully.  As with everything—careful research and detailed planning will make for a more rewarding and successful experience!