Why Medical Tourism Continues to Attract More Patronage Abroad

Medical tourism refers to the regular and deliberate exercise of patients travelling out of their home to foreign countries to receive medical treatments. One of the interpretations given by Goodrich & Goodrich as follows:

“… the attempt on the part of a tourist facility or destination to attract tourists by deliberately promoting its health care facilities, in addition to its regular tourist amenities.”

According to Parker (2018) “Growth in the popularity of this practice has resulted in a significant amount of attention being given to it from researchers, policy-makers, and the media.

However, not much work has been extensively undertaking on the steady decline of patients coming to the United States to attend to their health issues. The Government of the United States annually invests a lot in her Health sector yet this has not stopped a large amount of her outbound patients preferring to go abroad. A forecast projected that medical tourism originating in the US could jump by a factor of ten over the next decade.

An estimated 750,000 Americans went abroad for health care in 2013, and the report estimates that 1.5 million would seek health care outside the US in 2018; increasing by a multiplier every ten years of 1.3. The growth in medical tourism has the potential to cost US health care providers billions of dollars in lost revenue.”

Notable medical tourism destinations in the past which have experienced an influx of tourist include: Argentina, Brunei, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Korea, Tunisia, Ukraine, and New Zealand, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Turkey, Thailand and Ukraine.

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This essay presents the findings of an explanatory study to the major factors considered by most patients electing to seek medical attention abroad rather than in the United States.

There is no doubt that Medical tourism is fast becoming a growing industry and chief income generator for most countries. Nowadays, countries have included it as part of her Gross Domestic product index to boost the development of their economy. This has largely been due to the increased influx of a lot of tourists seeking medical attention worldwide. Research has shown that there are several reasons that encourage people to travel and also influence their choice of destination for medical attention. The underlining fact is the destination’s ability to solve the individual challenges encountered by the patient. Thus Kim and Lee (2002) have summarized the value being placed on a destination as the pulling effects it has on the visitors.

High Cost of out of pocket payments

The high cost of pocket payments for procedures in patients’ home countries is a majorreason behind medical tourism travel. The inexpensive and affordable costs of medical care services, approximately 30 percent to 70 percent lower than the costs in the US, UK, Singapore and Ko-rea, has made India highly appealing for foreign tourist as a health tourism destination. (Sharma 2013). The rising costs of out of patient expenses incurred has been made determinant in the choice of medical destination. The United States loss has been what developing countries like India have now gained in these sectors. Majority of the patients are made to pay claims out of their own pockets for medical treatment. Some of these costs tend to be high and too expensive to bear. The fact that the American Affordable Healthcare Act as well as Insurance companies do not cover these costs has passed the bulk to the patients.

Most countries abroad either offer this cheaply or do not charge at all. Morgan (2012) supports this viewpoint by stating that “Nowa-days, medical tourism is the most visible part of a generalized growth in the globalization of health-which essentially comes down to international trade in health services. Most people prefer to receive healthcare close to home. But under certain circumstances it can make more sense for a patient to receive healthcare abroad. In some cases the nearest health facility may in fact be across a border. In others, certain specialists or state of the art treatments are simply not available at home, or subject to a long waiting list. And of course, cost plays an important role, and many health tourists merely seek equivalent treatment in countries that are able to provide it more cheaply.” Health professionals have now called for policies on transparent price preview to allow more patients to afford and access treatment

Lack of Medical Insurance cover

A lack of insurance or being under-insured or if their procedures may not be covered by the insurance plans they have may be a main impediment in outbound medical tourist choice. Quite a lot of Americans do not have access to medical insurance and its importance cannot be overemphasized. Berchick, Hood and Barnett (2018) pointed out that “In 2017, 8.8 percent of people, or 28.5 million, did not have health insurance at any point during the year as measured by the CPS ASEC. The uninsured rate and number of uninsured in 2017 were not statistically different from 2016 (8.8 percent or 28.1 million).” Costs still remain an obstacle in choice of an insurance cover for Americans.

Another reason given is that a good number of Americans believe they are paying too high for it. Although, many of the elderly enjoy such covers from the government unlike the non elderly who have to seek covers from their employers, it is worthy to note that not all employers sponsor such programs and as such adults turn to Medicaid for support. Some states in the United States have not adopted the Medicaid program by government which has left the uninsured population vulnerable. Therefore several Americans that have funds to travel abroad and who would be subjected to minimal medical insurance explore the option of medical tourism overseas for major health conditions and chronic diseases treatment. The United States government must identify these challenges as as a critical point worth addressing.

Patient waiting times

The amount of waiting times for patients to be attended to is a lot more reduced in countries abroad along with other incentives such as promise of more timely care provide incentive to go abroad. Medical tourists also travel to avoid wait times for elective procedures in their countries of origin (Evans, 2008; Leahy, 2008). One of the inefficiencies associated with the Healthcare system has been the issue of waiting times. The increasing wait to be attended to by medical personnel in hospitals around the United States has led to the increased medical trips to other countries. These countries often offer quick and prompt care services similar to their home countries. The best way to approach this anomaly is to look into reducing wait times

Vacation aspects of Medical Tourism

Some countries leverage on the array of exotic places of interests they possess to attract tourist most especially those on medical trip. The United Arab Emirates have been able to leverage on the unique advantages provided by medical tourism by establishing the Dubai Health Experience (DXH) – the first medical tourism portal in the world that allows tourists to book their entire ‘medical holiday’ online: from procedure to flights and hotel. The online strategy adopts a unique approach which was the first of it the first of its kind anywhere in the world to attract in-ternational medical tourists. The digital platform brings along a range of healthcare related ser-vices as well as procedures geared towards provides a seamless experience. The main agency in charge is the Dubai Housing Authority (DHA) saddled with responsibility of overseeing such programs as the wellness, cosmetic and dental services, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, physiothe-rapy and specialized medical tests at any one of 26 private and public hospitals in Dubai.

Similarly, Thailand noted for her exotic beaches and breathtaking temples has grown to become a prominent destination of attraction for medical tourist. Morgan (2010) adds that.”The Thai Investment Board reports that Thailand treated over one million foreign patients in 2006. More than just mishappen holidaymakers, these patients were part of an expanding global trade in medical tourism which the board valued at US$40 billion worldwide and with global growth potential of some 20% per year.” The fact that most medical tourist are not just patient but also holiday makers lends to the fact that it should be taken very serious. Americans derive a lot of pleasure and excitement in visiting places with natural attraction which can also play a big role in aiding their rehabilitation process.

Quality of Doctors

The quality of specialized doctors as well as quantity could determine patient’s choice of medical destination. The large concentration of medical personnel with specialized skills in these areas plays a major role in the solving of patients predicament. Take for instance in India, majority of the Joint Council India (JCI) accredited and other hospitals of India are dedicatedly serving the patients of cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, orthopaedic surgery (including knee and hip replacement surgery), organ transplant surgery (including liver, kidney), Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Paediatric Surgery, Paediatric Neurology, Urology, Gynaecology/ Obstetrics/Surrogacy, Psychiatry, General Medicine and General Surgery, Cancer management, Cosmetic treatments, and Dental care. (Sharma 2013). Another group of experienced and talented professionals, made up of nurses, technicians, attendants, clinical coordinators, and nutritionists are also working together to serve the global medical tourist with their skills of performing complicated surgeries and other medical procedures (Sharma 2013). From the above, it can be concluded that India is more than ready to take on a lot of medical tourists as seen by the array of qualified doctors and adequately trained support staff.

Conclusion

The main objective of this essay was to explore the major factors considered by most patients electing to seek medical attention abroad rather than in the United States. Medical tourism is an evolving industry with positive effects rubbing off on other segments of the economy. The potentials of the medical tourism have been often overlooked by the United States government. Moreover, some vital factors such as quality training, facilities, personnel, health legislations and government reforms have to be re-visited to ensure that American choose medical treatment at home rather than going abroad. This would also boost her Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which has dwindled in recent times