Prior to my cancer journey I had a big misconception that the U.S. was top tier when it came to healthcare. As my journey has progressed I’ve learned so much about the reality of things. I have come to find out the US is severely lacking in so many areas. The Commonwealth Fund completed a report in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2021, and the reports consistently show that the US is ranked poorly in comparison to other high-income countries. As of 2021, the leaders in top healthcare were Norway, Netherlands and Australia (commonwealthfund.org).
Why is the US lacking
The US spends far more on healthcare than any other country and yet we have the lowest life expectancy at birth. The U.S. also has the highest death rates for avoidable or treatable conditions, the highest maternal and infant mortality, the highest rate of people with multiple chronic conditions and an obesity rate nearly twice the OECD average, and among the highest suicide rates.
Interestingly, a high-income person in the U.S. was more likely to report financial barriers than a low-income person in nearly all the other countries surveyed: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. And get this: the US is the only high-income country in which healthcare coverage is not a guarantee. It is astonishing and terrifying what I’ve uncovered in my research. It doesn’t help that the US is bound by the FDA. As I mentioned in my previous blog Latest Glioma Research, the FDA estimates that on average it takes 8.5 years to study and test a drug before it could become available to the public.
Studies have concluded there are 4 main reasons why other countries are ahead of US healthcare: 1) they provide for universal coverage and remove cost barriers; 2) they invest in primary care systems to ensure that high-value services are equitably available in all communities to all people; 3) they reduce administrative burdens that divert time, efforts, and spending from health improvement efforts; and 4) they invest in social services, especially for children and working-age adults.
What is medical tourism
Medical tourism refers to traveling to receive medical, dental or cosmetic treatment. Each year, millions of Americans travel to a different country to receive medical care. There are many reasons why people would leave the country and seek medical care elsewhere. One of the reasons is cost of care. Even when factoring in airfare, other transportation, and accommodations, it can still be significantly cheaper to go elsewhere. Other reasons for medical tourism include seeking a doctor who shares in your culture or access to procedures that are unavailable in the US.
Medical tourism is on the rise in Malaysia with its state of the art medical facilities and some of the best doctors in the world, and cheaper cost. Medical tourism in Costa Rica is also on the rise – they pull in $485 million in revenue just from medical tourism. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) actually ranks their healthcare above the US! Here are some cost comparisons:
- Coronary artery bypass: U.S. $88,000 / Costa Rica $31,500,
- Facelift (full): U.S. $12,500 / Costa Rica $4,500
- Heart valve replacement: U.S. $85,000 / Costa Rica $29,000
- Hip replacement: U.S. $33,000 / Costa Rica $14,500
- Knee replacement: U.S. $34,000 / Costa Rica $9,500
Other cheaper places for medical tourism include Columbia, Mexico, UK, Turkey, Thailand, India, Romania, Hungary, and Spain. The most common treatments/procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.
How to pursue medical tourism
Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Finland are all ranked to be top countries for cancer treatment. Mediglobus.com is a global medical directory that is legitimate and can be used to search for leading facilities worldwide in any treatments or conditions. I searched for top brain cancer treatment facilities and found that the top 3 listed are Nuremburg Hospital in Germany, Sourasky Medical Center in Israel, and Memorial Hospital in Istanbul.
It’s so important to be considering the risks associated with medical tourism including (but not limited to) infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, language barriers, continuity of care, and quality of care. Weigh all the risks and the benefits when exploring medical tourism as an option. Luckily, there are many things you can do to combat those risks before you even travel.
Always research the facility and the clinician you would be seeing – check the qualifications and accreditations. If you predict communication challenges, determine in advance how you will address those challenges. Get a pretravel consultation at least 4-6 weeks prior to your trip by meeting with your healthcare provider and/or a travel medicine clinician. Obtain international travel health insurance. Bring copies of medical records with you. Ensure you have arranged for appropriate follow-up care for when you return to the US.
Starting with research and a pre-travel consultation is best. Research what countries are leading in treatment for your condition and then from there dive into specific facilities or clinicians within those countries. Dr. Prem’s Guide to Medical Tourism is extremely informative and is definitely a resource I will use in the future myself when exploring medical tourism.
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Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
🤍 Hailey
Great research girl 👏