One More Reason to Go on a Health Vacation

Medical Tourism Could Be the Answer to America’s Healthcare Woes

A health vacation could be a viable way out of the sorry mess that the US healthcare system is in.  If you’re American and need a cardiac surgery or other life saving procedure, there would be no better place than home to get your treatment…if you could afford it, that is.  If your insurer refuses to cough up the $200,000 price tag that passes for the cost of a heart valve replacement surgery Stateside (which is often the case), you'll need to explore your options a little more thoroughly. 

According to the journal Health Affairs, the US ranks lowest among industrialized nations when it comes to the number of preventable deaths.  Countries like France, Japan, and Australia rank at the top of the scale.  Researchers tracked nations on the number of deaths that could have been prevented by timely medical help.  In the US, healthcare is not just exorbitantly expensive, the research concludes, but it is also far from timely in many cases, leading to statistics like these.  

According to the study, close to 23 percent of male deaths and 32 percent of female deaths were entirely preventable, and these include deaths from heart disease-related causes, diabetes, and strokes, among others.  The study included not just major conditions like diabetes and heart disease, where early diagnosis and screening is vital in ensuring a speedy recovery, but also smaller conditions like appendicitis in which immediate medical attention could mean the difference between life and death. 

Medical Tourism Could Mean Fewer Preventable Deaths

Countries like India offer life saving procedures at affordable rates without the lengthy wait lists involved.  It makes no sense to have a person in need of a major cardiac surgery wait three months for treatment – chances that he will be beyond any kind of treatment in three months’ time are high.  Add to that the cost for heart surgeries (which could be anywhere from $21,000 to $37,000 in India,  depending on whether valve replacement is involved), and you have surgery options that aren't just cost effective, but they are also accessible and timely as well.