Traveling to Save $$$ on Medical Care? You're Not Alone, but Read this first

How High Quality Out of Town Care Can Save You Thousands

Healthcare is expensive in America. Even simple outpatient surgeries can cost between $32,000 and $50,000 if everything goes perfectly smooth. Even if your insurance covers the majority of those costs, you could be left with a bill for several thousand dollars that would count as your deductible or an expense that is just not covered.

Introducing Medical Tourism. It has its benefits, if you do your research and know what you are getting into. 

Medical tourism is traveling to somewhere outside your local area to obtain a specific service at a better price. 

In some areas of the country, and many regions of the world, medical costs are significantly lower. You may want to save this money, or you may need to travel to find a specialist.

For example, a friend of mine had the rare mantle cell lymphoma (lymph cancer). The doctors referred him to the specialized Sloan Kettering Stem Cell Cancer Treatment Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, they put him in a trial treatment regimen.

The problem with the treatment: it was several hundred miles away from his home, and he would have to stay at least eight weeks. Our friend was married, so his wife traveled with him, staying at the affiliated Hope Lodge.

Being in Philadelphia posed challenges for his wife, including where to get food, gas, and a few moments of peace. Fortunately, restaurants, grocery stores, delis, and various religious organizations cashed in on this medical tourism by opening their doors and making it easy for the family members to get the support and items they needed. 

It all worked out, and our friend is cancer free. 

Medical Tourism in the United States

Most insurances limit people to specific hospitals and doctors for treatment. Sometimes, even emergency services are limited, so when you travel, be sure to check on this provision. 

Only when a specifically referred specialist is required will insurance companies consider covering this additional expense. But, they never cover travel costs, nor the cost of family members joining for emotional support. 

Many people weigh the cost of staying local versus traveling to a more cost efficient hospital or facility. In some cases, paying out of pocket will save people money. 

Statistically, medical tourism will generate $65-87.5 billion this year with 20-24 million people traveling for medical services according to Patients Beyond Borders. Medical tourism to Mexico and Canada is steadily increasing. In fact, the Medical Tourism Associationformed in 2009 to help people find the right kind of medical care. You can access their credentialing information on their website.

And don’t think you have to do this alone. Many employers are open to negotiating for a better price and working with you to save money. They can discuss direct pay services with hospital systems and individual doctors to try to control the ridiculous cost of health insurance. Your employer might also be able to help with your family and travel arrangements, which can save you money.

One aspect employers negotiate is routine and common surgeries, like knee replacements. Centers of Excellence hospitals provide certain services in a complete package, often for a better price. By negotiating with these hospitals, you may be able to get a much better price for specific services, even if you have to travel a little bit farther. You can get more information on saving money on health insurance in Health-Wealth: Is healthcare bankrupting your business?

Medical Tourism Risks

As with any healthcare, medical tourism comes with its risks. Primarily, the travel to the care site. For people with more advanced medical conditions, the trip itself can be detrimental. Always plan extra time to walk around and stretch during car rides. Understand the risks of flying after surgery could include blood clots.

Another aspect of medical tourism is follow-up care. You have to pre-arrange with the doctors doing your care to understand the requirements for follow-up visits. Even if you can visit your primary physician for the follow-up care, your insurance may not cover this visit.

More often than not, seeking out specialists takes you to larger cities. Being in a larger city runs the risk of increased crime, getting lost, and emotional overwhelm. If you have someone traveling back and forth from home to a specialist, there are additional risks with travel.

Finally, you have to make sure the facilities are safe and proper. Some hospitals and clinics offer lower prices, but the risk to your health is not worth it. 

When plastic surgery first debuted, many low-cost clinics emerged. People traveled far to visit these cheaper services only to discover unsanitary facilities and unlicensed doctors. Horrible tales emerged of disfigurations and deaths in these sub-par clinics. Numerous television shows exploited the trend for their own profit.

Today, the internet helps weed out truly poor facilities and providers, but they still exist. Do your research and visit the websites above to find properly credentialed doctors.

Travel outside the United States comes with a few more complications and regulations. In our next article, we’re going to cover medical tourism in the context of visiting a foreign country to obtain medical services. Medical services can cost significantly less in foreign countries, often up to 70% lower, but other conditions must be satisfied before taking this route.

Family First - Traveling for medical care with the family

The most significant medical tourism cost will likely arise with the expense your family’s travel costs. Depending on how many family members you choose to accompany you, you will have to factor providing shelter, sleeping arrangements, food, travel, and entertainment.

It's best to keep these medical vacations to a minimum of just the patient and one support person. It reduces costs and planning necessities. Both the patient and supporting family most likely will not be able to work, and the loss of income can be significant, especially when your spouse or significant other is the supporting party.

Taking children on a medical vacation poses many more difficulties. It may seem fun to have your children in a different locale or country, but you need to remember the support of the patient. 

You also have to plan for your child's schooling. Schools nowadays do not count medical vacations as acceptable excuses for being absent. This is true even if you prepare enough activities to keep your child educated and obtain materials from the teachers.

Children are easily bored, spending several days or weeks at a hospital can cause disruptions to the doctors, other patients, and even the person they're there to support. While childcare can be difficult, leaving a child home while you attend your family often is the bestter solution. 

Future Plans

Hospitals and clinics with significant medical tourism potential are building and maintaining facilities for the people coming to support the patient. Various industries, including gas stations, grocery stores, movie theaters, and religious organizations, are banding together to make the experience as pleasant as possible. Some hospitals are looking into employing travel agents to help families make better plans. 

As more people shop around to get the best medical care at the best price, more facilities will be opening up to handle the influx of medical vacation travelers. Hospitals known as Centers of Excellence will include concierge services designed to help family members traveling and staying in the local area.

If you are interested in saving money on your health care, consider reading my book Health-Wealth for You: 11 Steps to Save Big & Live Healthy.You’ll find several tips to take charge of your health care, including more information on traveling for medical care.

Dr. Josh Luke is a hospital CEO, celebrated keynote speaker, award-winning Futurist, LinkedIn Influencer, a faculty member at the University of Southern California, Founder of the not-for-profit Health-Wealth and author of the book series including Health-Wealth: Is healthcare bankrupting your business? andHealth-Wealth for You: 11 Steps to Save Big & Live Healthy (both Amazon #1 Best Sellers). Dr. Luke delivers engaging and entertaining keynotes that teach audiences simple concepts on how individuals and companies can save thousands on healthcare. For more information please visit www.DrJoshLuke.com.