Obesity Counterproductive to Affordable Healthcare

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Phuket - Medical Tourism Hotspot for Body and Skin Care

What better way to relax than in a tropical city like Phuket, Thailand through a medical tourism package where you can pamper body and skin during recovery from a medical procedure?  Such “spa treatments” appeals to the wealthy and seekers of affordable healthcare alike.  Treatments like Ayurvedic healing and Reiki relieve stress, leaving the body refreshed and the skin rejuvenated.  Some of these practices have been replicated in the US, but still cannot overcome the rising costs of medicine, a major problem in healthcare.  The lack of affordable healthcare in the US fuels the raging fire in Phuket and other cities abroad that welcome medical tourism for procedures ranging from hip resurfacing to body and skin care. 

Rising Costs: a Byproduct of Another Major Problem in US Healthcare:  Obesity

A Phuket medical tourism package for body and skin care isn’t limited to the topical appeasements of massages and acupuncture.  Other packages boost energy and metabolism by including Thai boxing, yoga, outdoor activities, all to be enjoyed in the warm sunny weather.  However, what seems like luxury is becoming a necessity for many Americans.  In 2006, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention cited only 4 of the 50 states—a measly 8%—with a prevalence of obesity less than 20%.  Translation:  very few Americans are at or below a healthy bodyweight.  As obesity plagues US citizens, it drags affordable healthcare in its undertow, begging the question:  are the rising costs of medicine a byproduct of US obesity, which is growing into a major problem in US healthcare?  If further studies find this to be the case, medical tourism may only be treating the symptoms, with regular exercise and proper diets the solution.  A trip abroad may save thousands of dollars on a liposuction compared to the cost in the US, but taking care of your health would save even more money in the long run.