India: The Right Health Vacation Destination for You

Warren and Wendy Miller’s Trip to India

Warren and Wendy Miller from Australia thought that India was probably not the right tourist destination for them.  When they thought of India, poverty, unbearable spices, and intolerable heat came to mind, they remarked to an Australian newspaper.  But after their high quality, completely affordable surgeries, gazing up at the Taj Mahal, they new they made the right choice of health vacation destination.   

The couple chose to travel in order to cover the cost of Warren’s total knee replacement surgery and laser eye surgery at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi.  After learning about the long public health queues in their native Queensland, the Millers read medical tourism articles and decided that they would join the rising number of Aussies heading to Asia for health care. 

India Welcomes Australian Health Vacationers

Statistics show that 85% of health travelers from Australia head for Asia, not to cut the cost of procedures like total knee replacement surgery or laser eye surgery, but for cosmetic procedures.  The most popular treatments are Botox, breast reduction or enhancement, and butt lifts.  Popular destinations for such procedures are Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, all places that offer rock bottom prices for quality procedures. 

Your Boss Might Pay for your Next Health Vacation

Americans have more reasons to travel on health vacations than ever.  In the US, many employees experiencing health problems in the near future will be encouraged by their companies to seek treatment abroad.  Kathy Gurchiek, editor of HR Magazine, writes that a new report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) found that 11% of organizations cover medical tourism in their health care packages for full or part-time employees.  Given the rising popularity of health vacations, it is not surprising that businesses are increasingly offering such services to their employees.  “Employers need to regularly look at the benefits they offer,” Gurchiek said, “to make sure they’re reasonable yet current and competitive.”