Sometimes Medical Tourism Savings Aren’t Enough

Medical Tourism Not a Panacea

Medical tourism to countries like Singapore, Thailand, Hungary, Turkey, or the Philippines offer intense savings to US patients seeking affordable health care.  These countries easily attract patients who desire lower costs for elective surgeries like breast or buttocks augmentation, thigh lifts or reductions, tummy tucks, and the like.  The discounts and savings and amazing, but medical tourism can’t necessarily fix all of the shortcomings of health care in the United States.  For one thing, insurance companies have not entirely jumped on the bandwagon, especially for elective surgery costs.  While the procedure may be less expensive, you’re paying the entire cost out of pocket; although that isn’t an issue if you’re uninsured anyway.   

Have You Added Malpractice into the Cost of Buttocks Augmentation? 
The true price of a procedure might extend well past the official surgery.  There can be residual effects, especially with a medical mishap.  Make no mistake, medical tourism is not a black market operation.  Accredited institutions like Singapore’s Parkway Hospital or Singapore General Hospital are required to ensure proper training and adherence to industry standards.  Still, things happen.  Mistakes happen.  Accidents happen.  And, no matter what laws support and defend your rights as a patient, you’ll have to live with whatever it was that went awry.  For a procedure like buttocks augmentation, complications are relatively minute, but every surgical procedure has the potential for problems. 

Is Medical Tourism Really For You?

Sexy may have a greater cost than patients are willing to pay when it comes to elective surgery.  Malpractice is among the more extreme situations and one of the least likely; but there are other dangers to medical tourism.  Accreditation and patient rights regulations offer little protection from pickpockets, assailants, and hostility outside the hospital walls.  No matter how minor the procedure, it’s best not to travel alone.  Furthermore, your normal support network will be thousands of miles away.  Can you stomach the local food?  Do your doctors speak your language?  As with anything else, there are pros and cons to medical tourism.  Weigh everything carefully before signing any paperwork.  Ask the right types of questions.  And don’t rush into anything until you have all the information that you need.