The Stanley Rubenti Medical Tourism Blog

Looking for a Sex Change? Try Asia

How Much Does Male To Female Surgery Cost?

In Trinidad Colorado, dubbed the sex change capital of…
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Looking for a Sex Change? Try Asia

How Much Does Male To Female Surgery Cost?

bangkok phuket thailand medical tourism cosmetic surgery-6.jpg

In Trinidad Colorado, dubbed the sex change capital of the world, Dr. Marci (formerly Mark) Bowers has reassigned the gender of more than 550 men. The fact that Dr. Bowers was once a man herself is all the assurance many patients need to put their faith in her hands. Unfortunately, however, not everyone can afford the procedure. Very few insurance companies cover the cost of male to female (or female to male) surgery, and for the full package, we're talking thousands upon thousands of dollars. Fortunately, however, there exist a range of options available to those who feel trapped in the wrong body. Chief among these is medical tourism - the practice of traveling abroad to more affordable countries to receive medical treatment that matches or exceeds the quality one finds at home.

Asian Medical Vacations Help Defray Gender Reassignment Costs

In general, medical tourism offers average savings of 55%, but could be as much as 85% off the cost of procedures in the United States. But how much does male to female surgery in countries like Thailand, India, or Malaysia really cost? Don’t you have to factor in the airfare, lodging, etc. just like any other trip or vacation? Sometimes, yes, but it really depends on the type of medical vacation package you choose. Many packages are “all-inclusive” with the costs covering the procedure, hospital stay, lodging before and after the procedure, and airfare. Some medical vacation packages also include transportation to and from the airport; particularly helpful when there’s a language barrier in an unfamiliar place.

When Seeking Cosmetic Surgery What Advice Should You Heed?

If the agency or office you’re working with doesn’t offer you all the information you need to feel comfortable planning a medical vacation, switch immediately. When considering medical tourism, some of the best advice is: do your research; what you don’t know could kill you. Traveling abroad for affordable health care can be risky, particularly for those who don’t do their homework, but just because you’re in Malaysia, Thailand, or some other locale doesn’t mean you’re receiving black market treatment. Visiting accredited medical facilities with qualified personnel means that cosmetic surgeries like gender reassignment are at least as safe as having the care in your home country.

Save Money and Your Back in India

Low Priced Spinal Fusion Surgery, Just a Plane Ride Away

You mean there’s such a thing as low priced spinal fusion surgery? Surely for something as complex as surgery on the spinal cord is well beyond affordable; at least it seems that way in the United States. With costs around $60,000, low priced spinal fusion surgery seems more like an oxymoron than a reality. Fortunately, low costs of labor and living, technological advancements, and a growing demand for safe, affordable health care has led to a niche market called medical tourism. Ironically, the concept of traveling abroad for medical treatment isn’t new. Patients from other countries used to travel to the United States for procedures that weren’t available in their homelands. Technology and globalization have made the market quite accessible and certainly more affordable to patients all over.

Is Your Medical Vacation Going to Be Safe?

If you’re going to travel thousands of miles health care, you certainly want to know that your medical vacation will be safe. Even when it doesn’t concern surgery or medical treatment, people tend to take precautions when it comes to their backs. However, when it comes to surgery, the risks, issues, and concern become greater. Add to the stress of the procedure the unfamiliar place and faces of an Indian hospital and staff, and the overall discomfort becomes even more acute.

If you want your medical vacation to India to be safe, the first step involves educating yourself on what accredited facilities exists to meet your needs. You can narrow your search from there. When your nurses and doctors speak to you in English and have some of the best bedside mannerisms in the world, concerns about your medical vacation’s safety will fade away, if not disappear altogether as you realize they know what they’re doing.

Traveling Abroad Can Make Safe Health Care Affordable Too

Wockhardt Hospitals, in India, are among the best in the world attracting patients from around the globe. Wockhardt even has a special division dedicated to the care and treatment of international patients (medical tourists). Moreover, the same spinal fusion surgery at Wockhardt is only $8,500, less than a quarter of the cost in the United States. Such savings, plus the benefits of first class service and amenities, have drawn thousands of medical tourists each year to Wockhardt Hospital for various low priced procedures including spinal fusion surgery, heart valve replacements, tummy tucks, and everything in between.

Open Your Eyes to Hungary

Imagine Sight-seeing In Hungary, without Your Glasses

You might occasionally wonder "who in their right mind would travel several thousands of miles to literally put their lives in a stranger’s hands?" I often ask myself the converse; "who in their right mind would pay 200% more than they need to by receiving health care at home? The debate continues, but regardless of your stance, medical tourism speaks for itself. Between 2007 and 2008, more than 2.25 million Americans traveled abroad to Hungary and other medical tourism destination countries for their health care needs. Some cited the affordable service that medical tourism offers. Others enjoy the idea of combining their savings with a vacation package to a unique location. Regardless of the reason, it is clear that even with this global recession, medical tourism is on the rise.

Can I Afford It: How Much Does LASIK Surgery Cost?

Sadly, health care seems to fit that upscale pricing mantra: If I have to ask how much LASIK surgery costs, I probably can’t afford it. Places like Hungary have helped address this issue through its incredibly competitive pricing. On average, LASIK can cost between $1,700 and $2,300 in the United States, whereas in Hungary you can have the procedure closer to $732. This price isn’t likely to include the airfare and hotel accommodations, but between what you’ll save and cheap airline and hotel deals, you can turn the difference into a vacation. As the United States considers leaning toward a universal health care system, prices may come down in the future, but patients need something in the interim to afford their medical care.

Plan Your Medical Vacation Right, Seek Advice

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Although he wasn’t referring to medical vacations, Gandhi’s advice has direct application to the exploding trend, particularly about learning. When it comes to traveling abroad for medical treatment, your life could very well depend on what you learn (or don’t).

Until universal health care—or whatever the solution is—comes to fruition, US patients will continue looking to alternatives like medical tourism for affordable health care. As the medical tourism industry grows, so will the scams and quacks wanting their piece of the billion-dollar pie. Watch out for yourself. Seek the right medical vacation advice and learn all that you can about your procedure, the hospital, and the country you’re planning to visit.

Why Are There no Fat People in Thailand?

Cosmetic Surgery Can Help You Lose Weight

Obesity has been one of the leading factors contributing to unaffordable health care in the US. Untreated, it can lead to a range of medical complications, including diabetes, heart disease, and even death. It is possible to treat the above through medical advances, but do you really want to be diabetes-free and still obese? According to Professor Aviva Must at Tufts University School of Medicine, “we know we’re extending life span, but we don’t know if we’re extending healthy survival. If one is going to spend the last three decades of one’s life with compromised physical and mental function, that may not be the picture of aging we have when we think of living into our 90s.”

Is Liposuction Surgery a Safe Option

Rather than spending thousands on diets that will, at best, provide you short-term weight loss or superficial results, investing in a medical vacation may be your fastest, most reliable option. Obviously the best plan for weight loss takes time, effort, and will power. And you should never choose liposuction (or any type of cosmetic surgery) as a quick-fix replacement for proper diet and exercise However, based on Must’s findings, if you’re already into (or entering) your middle ages, you may require results faster than normal diet and exercise can safely provide. Cosmetic procedures like liposuction surgery can help provide dramatic weight loss literally overnight. Doctors remove excess fat from the body, leaving you slimmer than you woke up that morning.

Offering Low Priced Liposuction Surgery in Thailand

Unfortunately, many people in need of liposuction can’t afford it. For low prices, people have sought black market liposuction surgeries, sometimes with fatal results. However, one need not go "underground" for such procedures when countries like Thailand, India, Singapore, and Malaysia already offer safe, affordable, and accredited liposuction experts and technology. With more insurance companies including medical tourism in patient coverage, traveling abroad is becoming even more institutionalized, helping the industry become even safer than it was before. Explore your options, consult with your physician, and discover whether or not medical tourism is a safe option for your current obesity problems.

How Can India Brighten Your Life?

Only 8,000 Miles For Affordable Laser Teeth Whitening

When talking thousands of miles, "only" is a gross understatement. It’s also a testament to the lengths people will travel for affordable health care. There’re 8,000 miles between the United States and India, give or take a few hundred depending on where you start and land. Clearly, people aren’t likely to make such a trip on a whim, let alone travel that distance just to have their teeth whitened. But what would draw them to a strange country in order to see a foreign doctor whom they’ve never met before?

For someone who’s uninsured, the lure of 50 to 80 percent savings on the cost of their laser teeth whitening is awfully strong. So strong that even people with insurance may find dental tourism attractive now that insurance providers are beginning to cover it. Combining affordable health care with a relatively inexpensive vacation is becoming more popular, with studies estimating nearly 3 million Americans may travel abroad this year in search of affordable health care. Medical tourism is a world-wide phenomenon.

Dangers of Dental Tourism: Can Affordable Health Care Still Be Safe?

Although the United States may be leaning toward universal health care, countries that have already adopted such policies are included in the millions of medical tourists seeking affordable health care. The term affordable can often mislead people into considering only the monetary cost of health care. For, countries with universal health care like Canada and Britain, their monetary concerns are minimal; but the wait times for medical treatment is often unbearable and in some cases life-threatening. There’s a tradeoff between affordability and those wait times. For a younger, healthier patient, the wait times seem worth avoiding a potential lifetime of debt. Older persons with more critical needs may disagree.

More Cost-Effective to Combine Procedures

In the grand scheme of things, laser teeth whitening is not a terribly expensive procedure. And although there are many who travel 8,000 miles specifically to receive this treatment, more often than not, medical tourists actually combine several procedures into one visit to make the most of their transnational voyage. While you're having your teeth cleaned or whitened, why not get a physical, tuck your tummy, or explore yoga? However, as always, be sure to conduct plenty of research before committing to anything binding.