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Medical tourism is a form of tourism in which people travel to a different country to receive medical care. It is a growing industry that has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the availability of high-quality medical care at a lower cost than in the patient's home country. Medical tourism has a wide range of impacts on the global economy, including increased economic growth, job creation, and improved access to healthcare. It also has the potential to reduce healthcare costs, improve the quality of care, and increase access to medical services for people in developing countries. Additionally, medical tourism can help to reduce the burden of medical costs on the home country's healthcare system. Finally, medical tourism can help to promote cultural exchange and understanding between countries.
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“At least 25% of immigrants and noncitizen residents in the United States are uninsured, compared to 9% of American citizens” (KFF, 2021). Medical Tourism is defined as the migration from one country to another in search of the obtainment of greater care than of that being provided in their own country. Individuals who participate in the concept of medical
tourism typically travel to receive medical, dental, and surgical care due to the affordability and accessibility of similar or greater quality care (CDC, 2021). Medical tourism is a wider term used to describe the travel associated with the attainment of healthcare services and the primary focus of medical treatments that is pursued internationally. The primary incentive behind this concept is that it provides patients with less costly/more efficient health care. It is exhibited and used for a variety of reasons, including the increasing healthcare costs in the U.S., lack of insurance, specialist-driven procedures, and higher-quality facilities. Many individuals who participate in medical tourism are often seeking health-care in other countries that offer relatively low costs and little delays/inconveniences (waiting times, insurance issues, accessibility, etc.) Some medical tourists also may search for specific destinations to achieve specific procedures that may be unavailable in their home-countries. (Rogers, 2016). For instance, individuals may be able to acquire stem-cell transplants and other procedures that may be unprovided in their home countries. Popular destinations for medical tourism include Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Panama, Singapore, Thailand, and South Africa (Rogers, 2016). Health facilities that compensate for the needs of medical tourists are usually very credible resources that provide top- notch facilities and well-trained, experienced doctors. Medical tourism is promoted through websites and travel agencies that provide resources to aspiring medical travelers, and the advertisement of such resources catch the eye of the public who are interested in acquiring cheaper, quality health-care, promoting an increase in the rate of international service providers. Medical tourism has impacted the populations of many different countries through the
services could also produce the ability of tourists to limit spending and effectively use resources to pursue substantial health care coverage, with shorter wait times and cheaper costs. “As American health care continues to face extraordinary increases in cost and long wait time, medical tourism has made it possible for cardiac patients to do their surgeries at a more affordable rate with shorter wait times while achieving quality care” (Eberechukwu, 2020). According to a study commenced by Weis, Sirard, & Palmieri (2017), a greater understanding of the urgency for the prioritization of medical tourism is exemplified through the compare-and-contrast of care-services within different countries. Cardiac surgery or a knee replacement, for instance, is noted to be a fraction of the cost in international and cross-border countries due to currency exchange rates, lower labor costs, and fewer regulations. Cardiac surgery in the U.S. costs an average of $113,000, while in India it may be performed for costs as low as $10,000 (Weis, et. al, 2017). Medical tourism has been a rising subject that has raised the eyebrows of many individuals looking to ensure a fulfilling and beneficial patient care experience that exhibits an increasing rate of consistent coverage. Improving health service coverage and health outcomes depends on the supply and capacity of health care workers to deliver favorable integrated patient care experiences. Through the recognition by the public and the establishment of health policies by the government, medical tourism could provide both economic and physical benefits to individuals seeking quality, affordable care and worldwide health systems. Through the continuous increase of health-care costs within the U.S. and other parts of the planet, many institutions and insurance companies have tried to take the course of using medical tourism as a way to lower them. As more countries begin to establish financial benefits
from medical tourism, the more susceptible they are to offering substantial services at lower costs (Weis et. al, 2017). Saying this, however, medical tourism is not more cost-effective 100% of the time. Tourist care in Europe could work to decrease the power of national authorities to manage rates and spending, resulting in an increase of overall medical costs. Health complications that stem from medical travel and the introduction of foreign illnesses/diseases have the potential of compromising care ability. With the hindering of care, there will be more expenses that will cost medical systems. In Germany, for instance, co-payments are required for treatments that result from non medically indicated measures, like surgery, which increases the responsibility of payments by the patient. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (2015), certain treatments and surgical procedures in Germany are only possible in a hospital where a team of doctors and specialists attain the resources needed to provide quality and urgent care. Procedures that require more technical ability, such as cosmetic surgery, require specialists with an experienced background. The issue surrounding that is not every hospital offers the availability of specialty work. This, in turn, creates a higher demand which therefore will lead to an increase in health costs. There is substantial concern that medical tourism and cross-border care could contribute to health inequities within the involved countries. Health care is recognized internationally as a legal and social right in many countries. Canada, for example, acknowledges it to be a priority of health care policy. The Canada Health Act, (Government of Canada, 2020), sets out the primary objective of health care through promoting and protecting a publicly funded health care insurance that facilitates reasonable access to quality care without financial barriers.
with post-procedure complications. Once this happens, the follow-up is not only difficult to complete, but also extremely expensive (Agarwal, 2019). While many medical tourists receive quality patient care when traveling to different countries, it should be noted that it could be a gamble. Within lower income settings, issues regarding safety and control can cause a variety of issues, including substandard surgical care, inadequate infection control, falsified/outdated medications, etc. Saying this, medical tourists may be posed to travel-related risks that could have a negative impact on their health rather than a positive. Many individuals also face discomfort in the idea of medical travel in foreign/developing countries due to the barriers that are faced in public health systems that hinder the economic development of their nations. The reality is that people who are unable to meet the fundamental needs of acquiring quality care in their own country deal with growing health inequities that directly correspond with systems that accommodate the rich more so than the less fortunate. While this may be an indicator that medical tourism should be implemented more, one could understand the fear of failure to obtain health care resources in another location among individuals who lack insurance accessibility in their own countries. The ability to achieve universal health-care through medical tourism requires the strengthening of health systems all over the world. Robust financing structures, systems that supply consistent standards that cease to change despite altering market conditions, could generate a successful system where individuals are able to access quality, affordable care (World Health Organization, 2021). Most of the time, when tourists are unable to obtain the care that they require in order to stabilize a healthy lifestyle in their own country, they turn to alternative options that consist of traveling to other countries.
Medical tourism produces an impact on the increased efficiency of communication and transportation by reducing costs and time. Along with the transportation of resources, the migration of medical tourists across borders and willingness to seek medical care in a foreign country highlights the importance of understanding and appreciating foreign cultures. In medical tourism, the understanding of and awareness of cultural barriers is crucial, as it is identified to be the most common issue faced by medical tourists. Cultural barriers are found to negatively impact effective communication between patients and health-care providers. In efforts made to prevent further complications surrounding cultural differences, the U.S. government has developed standards and guidelines of cultural competency that are proven to be essential in providing quality patient care experiences. (Xu, et. al 2020). In order to acquire maximum care experience, medical tourists and health-care providers are advised to possess an understanding of two-sided cultural understanding. overage and should be acknowledged by current medical students and potential medical tourists in order to fulfill the potential of quality care-providing services. Students and professionals have increased access to education and skill outside of their country of residence in order to gain knowledgeable resources that could be used to understand the cultural practices of medical care. India is well-known for its low-cost, effective health-care services that provide an impressive range of treatments, including the involvement of experienced English-speaking and other foreign-speaking countries (Agnihotri, 2016). Through this, medical tourism works to decrease the likelihood of cultural barriers that may be faced when receiving international care. Furthermore, due to the decreasing invasiveness in medical procedures and the rising costs of health coverage among different countries, patients are more likely to consider tourism
10 communication with International and cross-border health-care professionals, more opportunities will be presented to achieve a significant health-care experience that may be unavailable in home countries. Through the introduction of technological communication among aspiring patients, medical tourism facilitators have acquired a full understanding of the significance of providing comprehensive services to tourists. Additionally, technology has been able to provide information regarding numerous diseases and conditions, which influences tourists to seek treatment and resources, resulting in an increase in the rate of medical tourism. (Dunets et. al, 2020). Employers in developed countries are looking to expand lower-cost models of health-care through the establishment of options that could provide opportunities for medical tourists to attain cheaper care in lower-cost countries. Insurance pilot programs, for instance, are working to add coverage for health-care across borders in an attempt to reduce personal and public costs for clients, resulting in an influx of affordable global health-care resources (Pagan 2020). International and cross-border medical destinations abroad may become more desirable through the decrease of costs in health-care services. The economic statuses will continue to have a profound impact on the expansion of medical tourism, extending the attractiveness of receiving cross-border/international services. The continuous rise in health-care costs within the U.S. will only introduce more difficulty in obtaining quality care, cultivating an increased need for medical services as more time passes. Health-care reform, as a result, will steadily increase the costs of services on healthier and younger Americans, potentially leading to demographic shifts among medical tourists as more individuals are susceptible to seeking lower-cost services in other countries.
11 The rapid economic processes occurring in the emerging market nations have also had a profound impact on the expansion of medical tourism. With future trends showing an increased demand for healthcare worldwide, there is an increasing trend in regards to the globalization of healthcare. The primary incentive behind this concept is that it provides patients with less costly/more efficient health care. The concept of medical tourism is exhibited in order to achieve accessible health-care in foreign countries by avoiding healthcare costs and insurance difficulties in the U.S. In order to obtain a more affordable alternative to health-care coverage, medical tourists seize the opportunity of cross- border care through affordable specialty procedures and higher-quality facilities. While there are a variety of challenges that are faced when implementing the use of medical tourism, there are many advantages and routes that can be taken in order to avoid future issues regarding cultural and socioeconomic differences. Along with an increasing trend toward the globalization of healthcare and the benefits of achieving quality care abroad, there is a magnitude of revenue opportunities for firms catering to the present market, focusing on countries who wish to expand the industry within and beyond their borders. The health-care and medical tourism industries work in defeating adversities and accounting for the change of trends within the marketplace. Through the adjustment to issues and technological advancement in medical tourism, economic shifts within developed and underdeveloped nations will proceed to have a beneficial impact on cross-border and regional healthcare systems. Such changes will presumably have the ability to impact the demand for health-care on a universal scale. On top of this, changes that are made within the market will cause shifts in attitudes towards domestic travel, increasing the use of it and its benefits.
13 alth-care-system-medicare/canada-health-act.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 19). Medical tourism: Travel to another country for medical care. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/medical-tourism. Eberechukwu, Karen, (2020) "Medical Tourism: The Impact of Cost and Wait Time in Relation to Cardiac Surgeries Among Individuals in the United States" Retrieved from Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 1292. https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/ Kaiser Family Foundation (2021, July 16). Health Coverage of Immigrants. KFF. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/fact-sheet/health- coverage-of-immigrants. The Impact Of Medical Tourism - Social, Economic and Political | MedHalt Blog. (2016, November 24). MedHalt Healthcare Services. http://www.medhalt.com/blog/impact-medical-tourism-social-economic-political Rogers, K. ourism. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/science/medical-tourism
14 STRATEGIC INNOVATIONS FOR AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE: A MODEL FOR HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM. Altarum Institute. (2011, January). Retrieved from https://altarum.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-publication-files/ MMES04_MedicalTourism.pdf. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2015, May 6). Health Care in Germany: At the Hospital. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK298831/. Weis, J. L., Sirard, R. B., & Palmieri, P. A. (2017). Medical tourism: The role of the primary care provider. BJGP Open , 1 (2). https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen17x World Health Organization. (n.d.). Universal Health Coverage (UHC). World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc) (Xu, et. al 2020). (Plianbangchang,2018):https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JHR-11-2017- 008/full/pdf?title=a-view-on-medical-care-globalization-and-medical-tourism Dunets,2020):https://jssidoi.org/jesi/uploads/articles/27/ Dunets_Health_tourism_in_low_mountains_a_case_study.pdf
