What are the benefits of medical travel?

The main benefit of medical travel for most people is the amount of money they can save. While you will have to furnish the cost of travel and lodgings, you may be able to save tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on certain procedures! The biggest savings in terms of percentages are on cosmetic procedures. In certain cases you may be able to save up to 95%. Savings of 90% are common on all kinds of procedures.

Another key benefit of medical travel comes in the form of immediacy. While your country’s healthcare may be subsidized and therefore cost effective, you may be faced with long wait times instead. If you need to be seen right away, traveling across the border to another country may solve your problem and give you access to immediate care.

You may also benefit from medical travel if you are seeking euthanasia and are unable to get it in your own country, or if you need a sex change operation and are faced with political difficulties in your own country.

Medical travel may also be of benefit to you if you have a disease which is considered rare in your native country, but which is common in your destination country Doctors in that country will have more experience with the disease and may well have a better chance of helping you.

The benefits of medical travel are many, and the drawbacks are very few—so consider looking into it today!

If you’re faced with long wait times in your home country or exorbitant medical costs, this can be (literally) a life-saver.

Are there risks associated with medical travel though? Can you trust facilities in third world countries?

Even in third world countries, you can find state of the art medical technology and doctors who have trained in first world countries to provide the highest quality medical service to patients.

These medical facilities were built in order to service elite patients in the upper classes of third world nations. One area where there is a lot of variation though is post-operative care. This is something to be wary of, but you’ll find out there are a lot of non-profit organizations and accreditation agencies which can help you find the best hospitals.

Also relating to post-op care is the issue of communication. Should you leave the foreign country immediately, you could fall out of contact with your physician. For this reason and others, it’s best if you stay in the foreign country for a couple weeks (or whatever is applicable) to recover.

Do keep in mind that in foreign countries you may be exposed to unusual diseases. It is best to get vaccinated against these diseases in advance, before you enter the foreign country. That way you’ll be protected. This is always a risk with foreign travel and thus with medical travel it is no different. Since you’ll presumably be in a hospital though, your risk does go up, so you should be extra cautious.

These are very common sense matters, and as you can tell, the benefits of medical travel including immediate medical attention and savings of up to 90% certainly outweigh the few risks.

How does medical travel work?

Where do you begin the process of getting in contact with a hospital which can administer a treatment to you in a foreign country?

The easiest way to start is to contact a medical travel provider. You may also hear medical travel providers referred to as health tourism providers or medical tourism providers. These companies are your connection to hospitals and clinics across borders.

There are different providers you can go with based on what kind of procedure you need, for example cosmetic surgery medical travel providers and dental medical travel providers. When you talk to a medical travel provider, you will need to give them a report which explains what you need, and also a report from a local doctor which conveys a professional opinion on your situation. You can list your preferences for countries and hospitals, and also explain how long you plan to stay in the foreign country to recover after your procedure.

The provider will find you a hospital or hospitals which might be suitable, and once you have picked one out, you can sign an agreement and consent bond. At this point the provider will give you a recommendation letter which you can take to the embassy of the country concerned, which will then give you a medical travel visa. After you arrive in the foreign country, your medical travel provider will assign you a case worker to help you deal with the details.

Medical travel is complicated, but you don’t have to arrange it all on your own. With the assistance of a medical travel provider, you can put more of your mental energy into dealing with your condition and enjoy some peace of mind.

It’s a major industry in more than 50 countries worldwide, and a wonderful way to save money on your medical bills.

Just how much can you save with medical travel?

Many people save up to 90% on their procedures, and certain cosmetic procedures can be as much as 95% off. You do have to factor travel and lodging expenses into your cost (many of which are tax deductible), but even with these additional costs, you can still save a tremendous amount of money by engaging in medical travel.

Aren’t those third world facilities kind of dubious? You may be concerned about safety traveling to a third world country, but there are first rate hospitals and clinics in third world countries, created to serve the elite members of the third world society. You will find highly trained and skilled physicians working at these hospitals, and also high tech medical equipment, just like you would in your native country.

How do you arrange all this? Your first step is to contact a medical travel provider (also called a healthcare travel provider or medical tourism provider). The provider will ascertain your needs and then help you to find a facility which can treat your condition in a country of your choice. The provider will help you get your visa from the embassy, and will usually even assign someone to handle your case while you are in the foreign country undergoing treatment.

Medical travel is growing in popularity as more people start to realize that quality care is available in third world countries and is more affordable (and often more immediate) than care in their native countries.

It all depends on your personal financial situation and what your medical needs are, but in all likeliness you can save money by traveling across borders for your care. 

Here are some examples of situations in which medical travel might be of particular value to you.  As you’ll discover, the benefits go beyond pure monetary importance:

• You are uninsured or uncovered because of a pre-existing condition, or your insurance provider considers the procedure you want to be an elective one.  In all of these situations, you are faced with insurmountable bills.  You can navigate around them by traveling to countries where your medical bills can be reduced by as much as 90%!

• You have a long wait time ahead of you in your native country and have an immediate need for treatment.  By traveling across borders, you may be able to get treatment right away.

• Political issues prevent you from getting the procedure you need.  This would apply in cases like euthanasia, sex change operations, etc.

• You are going to be in the foreign country for unrelated reasons at the time you will need treatment.

Is there anyone that should actively avoid medical travel?  As a general rule, no; the only problem would arise if you couldn’t afford the travel and lodging fees.  Assuming you can cover both, you will probably save thousands of dollars with medical travel.  Many people save tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars this way!

How do you get started?  Just get in touch with a medical travel provider, a company which can get you in contact with a hospital or clinic in another country where you can get the procedure or treatment you need.  The medical travel provider will also help you get your visas so you can get on your way!