It was really in 2004 and 2005 when the U.S. media “discovered” Medical Tourism … about the same time I did. (Maybe just a little after I did. 😉 ) And it was discovered because the media noticed that people were going overseas for serious, life-saving procedures, not just cosmetic surgery and dentistry.
Chapter 3 Page 5 | The Media Imprimatur
Medical tourism and travel has been episodically in the news in the U.S. ever since and remains a story in parallel with the dominant narrative about healthcare reform in the U.S. that arose in 2008 — 2009. I’ve often been asked if real healthcare reform in the United States would be the end of medical tourism, and the answer is no. Medical tourism and international medical care will remain less costly alternatives and U.S. patients and insurers will continue to explore and integrate the travel-for-care options that are available.
We’ve hit the end of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 will look at what surgeries and procedures that patients choose to have done overseas — specifically, it is mostly a list of cosmetic procedures and average prices and savings in 2004 — 2005. As I go through it, I’ll try to put forth any updates of which I am aware. Chapters 4 and 5 (which is a tutorial on doing Internet research) are, to me, the driest parts of the book but I’ve encountered readers who thanked me for them. So … off we go. Tomorrow, probably.
Would this apply in Europe as well?
Yes, Cathy. Eastern European countries with good medical care had and have a comparative advantage on cost vis-à-vis the West. But Poland, Hungary, etc. did not really begin exploiting the advantage until the past five to ten years as they became more integrated with the EU.
I’ll answer though I’m pretty sure you were just trying to sneak that link in.