Travel Health: The Doctor Is In (Another Country)
You can save thousands by traveling abroad for medical care. First, take this advice
BY HANNAH WALLACE | ILLUSTRATION BY DUBLIN DURLLER WILSON
Health care has become astronomically expensive in the United States. Without insurance, heart-valve replacement surgery can cost upwards of $160,000. And even if you are insured, many plans exclude procedures like dental implants, in vitro fertilization and non-emergency knee replacement.
No wonder the number of Americans traveling abroad for medical care is rising. Though figures vary, some studies reveal as many as 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for that reason in 2007. The savings are enormous, even when you factor in airfare—and luxury hotels. In India, the average price for medical care is 80 percent less than in the U.S., says Devon Herrick, a health economist who has written on medical tourism. The American Medical Association, aware that there's no stopping the globalization of health care, released a set of guidelines for medical tourism last year.
How do you know if health travel is right for you? Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Travel, offers this advice.
1. Follow the $6,000 rule. If your U.S. doctor quotes you a price of $6,000 or more, chances are you can find the same procedure for far less abroad. Woodman advises staying put if the quote is less than $6,000, saying that "Medical tourism is not for everyone."
2. Do your homework. Patients Beyond Borders can help you narrow your destination by specialty. Then, email the hospitals you're considering to find out how many such surgeries they perform annually, and their success rates. Once you've narrowed the search, interview the physicians via phone or Skype. Extensive online research is always advised.
3. Hire a "medical concierge." If time is an issue, enlist a health travel agent who'll help you find the best physician, book travel, obtain visas and transfer medical records. Ask for two references before hiring one, suggests Woodman.
4. Choose a hospital accredited by the Joint Commission International. Woodman advises first-time medical tourists to stick to JCI-accredited hospitals. An affiliate of the agency that certifies U.S. hospitals, JCI has more than 250 accredited facilities abroad, whose doctors have often trained at top medical schools in the U.S., Canada or Europe.
5. Inform your U.S. doctor. Don't worry that he or she will try to dissuade you, especially if you've done the research. "Say, 'Doc, I can't afford to get that surgery from you,'" says Woodman. Then rattle off the facts: "At Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, they've done this surgery 250 times with a 98% success rate." You'll need your doctor's cooperation in handing over medical records, and in any necessary follow-up care.
6. Travel with a companion. Aside from offering comfort and care, a trusted friend is essential for filling prescriptions, doing Internet research and reassuring friends and family back home. They can also help you make the decision if, say, the foreign doctor proposes a different procedure.
7. Stick around 10–14 days after surgery. Unless you've only had tests or nonsurgical dental work, Woodman suggests you wait before flying home, to allow for at least one post-op visit plus possible physical therapy. The best overseas hospitals catering to travelers offer nearby "recuperation resorts" and insist you stay and heal. "Go first class. Stay at a nice hotel," says Woodman. "You'll still come out ahead financially."