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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Vince Ellis needed a new knee. What the 58-year-old network administrator got, in addition to knee-replacement surgery at an internationally accredited hospital, was an all-expenses-paid trip to Costa Rica, a two-week stay in a four-star hotel, and daily visits from a nurse and physical therapist, all thanks to his employer, North Carolina-based HSM Solutions. What’s more, he’s now back at work, pain free, his retirement savings intact. “I didn’t pay out of pocket for anything,” he says.
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Traveling overseas for medical care is on the rise. – Richard Gleed / Alamy
Check out our interactive map for surgical procedures and comparative costs
As companies and individuals look for ways to curb the escalating costs of medical care, stories like Ellis’ are becoming more common. Roughly a million Americans are expected to go abroad for medical care this year, notes David G. Vequist IV, director of the Center for Medical Tourism Research in San Antonio – up from about 750,000 in 2013. Dental work tops the list of travel-abroad procedures, accounting for about a third of all health-related trips, followed by surgeries such as coronary-bypass and bariatric operations, at 29 percent. About 13 percent of American medical travelers seek cosmetic surgery, and 7 percent get orthopedic procedures such as hip and knee replacements.
Plus, employer-paid surgeries abroad appear to be taking hold: According to a 2014 survey by HR consulting firm Aon Hewitt, although only 5 percent of employers currently cover those surgeries, 25 percent say they may add this in the next three to five years. Ellis’ employer, with 2,500 employees, has saved nearly $11 million on health care since the company started its medical-travel program in 2010, according to benefits director Tim Isenhower.
“The international medical marketplace is about to take off,” says Marty Makary, M.D., a leading hospital quality and safety expert based at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. “We’re living in the era of the high deductible – $10,000 in the bronze family plan under the new health law. People are paying more and looking to cut costs.”
If you’re thinking about having surgery abroad – or curious about what it might entail – here’s what you need to know to get the best outcomes.
Who pays?
Most Americans getting surgery abroad pay their own way – they’re typically uninsured or underinsured or are seeking services not covered under most medical plans, such as cosmetic procedures or expensive dental restoration. But these days insurers and employers, both public and private, are not only picking up the cost for overseas care – some are even throwing in a cash bonus for the employee.
How much can I save?
A lot: See our medical tourism comparison chart.
What role does my local doctor play?
“Getting a first opinion locally is a good starting point,” says Makary. Expect to have your physician at home make a diagnosis and evaluate your fitness for travel. Also be sure he or she is willing to share your records with medical professionals involved with your care abroad. After you return home, your local doctor should be prepared to coordinate any needed aftercare. But be prepared for pushback; American doctors are obviously competing for the same business.
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