Whats driving the growth of medical tourism?
Three factors essentially — soaring U.S. healthcare costs, the Internet, and a steady stream of awe-struck TV reports and news stories. A half million Americans were expected to travel abroad for medical and dental treatment in 2007, including a vast number of Americans without health insurance either because they couldn’t afford it or find any insurer to provide it. Confronted with a dire need for treatment they couldn’t afford to get domestically, some people began searching the Internet for information about the cost and quality of care abroad. Over the past three to four years, the media began reporting on the treatment they received, and spread the word that absolutely top-notch, first-class medical and dental care is available at numerous locations around the world — and at a fraction of the cost.
