According to BBC, the number of Americans going abroad for medical treatment is increasing every year. In 2000, 295,000 Americans went abroad for medical treatment, and by 2017, the number of people increased to 422,000, and medical tourism became so popular.
Melissa from Mississippi, USA is a member of the United States' army of medical treatment. Earlier this year, she went to a private hospital in Costa Rica for knee replacement surgery, and her condition is now recovering.
"I was worried about going abroad for such a big surgery." (Via BBC)
Although I had some doubts about going abroad for medical treatment before, I was still very satisfied with my experience in this trip:
She prayes all the staff that treated her.
She praised her employees in the hospital for taking care of her.
She praised her.
"I had a meltdown one day [at the hospital] because of the pain, and the feeling of helplessness," she says. "But the nurses and techs were so sweet and helped to calm me."
"One day, (in the hospital) I had a meltdown one day [at the hospital] because of the pain, and the feeling of helplessness," she says. "But the nurses and techs were so sweet and helped to calm me."
"One day, (in the hospital) I was frustrated by the pain and feeling of helplessness," she said. "But the nurses and technicians are very kind and help me calm down."
Via BBC
And more importantly, she saved her a lot of money on this trip :
She says that her knee operation in Clinica Biblica, Costa Rica's largest private hospital, cost $12,200 (£9,200), compared with around $44,000 in the US.
Melissa said she is in Clinica, the largest private hospital in Costa Rica. Biblicaz had knee surgery, and the cost was
Via BBC
From this point of view, the price gap can be said to be very large. So, the reason behind choosing to go abroad for medical treatment like Melissa is also helpless:
While many Americans do so because theydon't have health insurance- official figures show that more than 28 million do not - others like Melissa go overseas because their basic cover means that they have to pay a sizeable chunk of any treatment bill.
Many Americans choose to go abroad for medical treatment because they do not have medical insurance . Official data shows that more than 28 million people in the United States do not have medical insurance, while other people like Melissa, even if they have insurance, must pay a considerable proportion of the treatment costs themselves when they see any disease.
Via BBC
Picture Via Getty Images
And according to a report in The Guardian2018, medical care in the United States can be said to be the most expensive html in the world4:
High prices make American medical care the most expensive in the world (Via The Guardian)
The United States spends twice as much on healthcare as 10 other high-income nations, driven by the high price of everything from prescription drugs to doctors’ salaries, a new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds.
A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the United States spends twice as much on health care than in 10 other high-income countries, and the causes of this include expensive prescription drugs and doctors’ salaries.
Via The Guardian
For this reason, more and more Americans are going abroad for medical treatment:
People are giving up American medical care and flying to other countries to seek affordable medical services (Via thisisinsider.com)
The American healthcare system is known for being notoriously expensive. It doesn't help that, according to data collected in 2017 by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index,
As we all know, medical prices in the United States are very expensive. What’s even more helpless is that according to the data collected by the Gallup Health and Happiness Index in 2017,
Even those who do have health insurance often find themselves1struggling to pay sky-high medical fees. For example, a Reddit user went viral in 2013 when he posted a photo of the hospital bill he received when he was treated for appendicitis. The total charges came to over $55,000, and even with health insurance, he had to pay over $11,000 out of pocket.
Even people with medical insurance often find that they cannot afford high medical expenses . For example, in 2013, a Reddit user posted photos of the hospital bills he received while receiving appendicitis treatment online, which quickly became popular on the Internet. The total bill cost more than $55,000, and even with medical insurance, he had to pay more than $11,000 on his own.
Via thisisinsider.com
Last June, a blogger in California, USA, Alyne Tamir also posted a video online about her experience of going abroad for medical treatment:
Picture Via Dear Alyne/Facebook
In the video, Tamir explained it would have cost $1,500 to fix her tooth in the US. Instead, she had her root canal done in Egypt.
In the video, Tamir explained that it would cost $1,500 to fix her tooth in the US. Instead, she had her root canal done in Egypt.
In the video, Tamir explained that it would cost $1,500 to fix her tooth in the US. So she went to Egypt for root canal treatment.
"A nice hotel in Egypt costs around $70 a night," she told INSIDER. "And the actual root canal was only $120. This was at a fancy dentist too; you can definitely get it for way cheaper somewhere else in Egypt."
In Egypt, staying in a good hotel costs about $70 a night," she told INSIDER. "It costs only $120 to do root canal, and it is a relatively expensive dentist. In Egypt, you can also find other cheaper prices. ”
Via VCG
And it is reported that most insurance companies in the United States do not contain certain dental projects and cosmetic surgery . These medical projects in China are very expensive , so some people choose to do it abroad.
In the US, for example, the average cost of LASIK eye surgery is $2,088 per eye. Ragusa, however, told INSIDER that she received LASIK in South Korea and paid a total of $1,400 — including all of the check-ups before and after the surgery, the surgery itself on both eyes, the medicine, and all future care for life.
For example, in the United States, the average cost of vision laser surgery is $2088 per eye. However, Ragusa told INSIDER that the laser surgery she had in South Korea cost only $1400, which includes all examinations before and after the surgery, binocular surgery, medications, and lifelong care costs.
Via Thisisinsider.com
In addition, some Americans who suffer from chronic disease and need long-term treatment will also choose to go abroad to see a doctor. Some people even go abroad to have children because the cost of is too high in China to save money.
average birth cost in each country (red is the cost of natural birth, orange is the cost of caesarean section)
gives birth in the United States more than in other countries (Photo Via the Guardian)
In fact, not only Americans, but people from other countries are also choosing to go abroad to see a doctor, such as the British. Although the British have National Health Service (UK National Health System) Public medical system like is guaranteed, but the time for to queue is not short, and it is reported that under the NHS system, there are also problems such as insufficient number of dentists, and surgery such as plastic surgery is not within the scope of free medical treatment.
Medigo, a German-based medical travel company says that queries from UK residentsjumped 53%last year. Official figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics also show that a rising number of people are going abroad for treatment.
A German medical tourism company Medigo said the number of consultations from UK residents soared by 53% last year. Official data from the UK Office of Statistics also showed that more and more people are going abroad for treatment.
Via BBC
A British man named Amanda Wells went to Poland for an operation:
The 46-year-old travelled to Poland last year to have a painful bunion removed from her left foot, because she didn't want towait the nine months sthat her GP estimated it would take her to get the operation on the NHS.
46-year-old Amanda Wells went to Poland for surgery last year to treat the bunion of her left foot, because her doctor estimated that she would need to wait for for nine months before she could go to the operating table for public medical care, and she didn't want to wait any longer.
She says she was able to get the work done in Poland for £3,000, half the amount she was quoted by a private surgeon in the UK.
She says she spent £3,000 for surgery in Poland, but in the UK, that's only half the cost of a private surgeon.
Via BBC
Amanda Wells (Photo Via BBC)
This has promoted the development of medical tourism industry .
Patients Beyond Borders, a publisher of guidebooks for "medical tourists" estimates that more than 20 million people will travel to another country for medical treatment this year,up 25% from 16 million last year.
According to Patients Beyond Borders, a publisher that does the "medical tourists" guide, this year, 20 million people will go to other countries for medical treatment, up 25% from last year's 1.6 million .
Meanwhile, a 2017 report by payments giant Visa estimated that the medical tourism industry was worth more than $100bn a year, and continuing to grow in value by quarter every year.
At the same time, a survey conducted by payment giant Visa in 2017 estimated that the output value of the medical tourism industry exceeded US$100 billion per year.
Via BBC
However, some experts reminded people who go abroad to see a doctor to pay attention that after returning to China, they may be infected with , or involve some subsequent treatment of , which may also be a huge cost. Even if you have insurance in the country, insurance may not necessarily pay compensation, but will instead cost more money.
What do you think about going abroad for medical treatment? Welcome to leave a message in the comments.
Text: BBC, The Guardian, thisisinsider.com
Integration: Sasa
Picture: BBC, The Guardian, thisisinsider.com, Getty Images, VCG, Network
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