The solution!

Yes! I was going on vocation!
I was long overdue for a nice relaxing trip. I started looking for the airplane tickets to Eastern Europe, to Belarus to be exact. I knew that Belarusian dentists are wonderful, I visited them before. So I checked the ticket prices. It appeared that I could afford not one but two round trip tickets, which meant that my husband and I could have an overseas vocation together! We paid about $2,400 for two round trip tickets. Not bad!
Once in Belarus, I went to my first appointment at one of the local dental clinics. I wanted to get the work started as soon as possible as we didn’t have much time. Of course, I was also wondering about the price? I came prepared, I had my X-rays with me and I also had a good idea about what needed to be done. During my first appointment my root canal was taken care of and all the measurements for the crown were taken. The estimated cost of this whole treatment was about $250! I made two more visits to this clinic and everything was completed. I was so happy! I got to visit my family and friends - everything is so close in Europe, and I had my dental issue solved!
But what a price difference!

Medical Tourism is the only solution for many...

Medical Tourism may sound like an exotic, extravagant adventure. Until you realize that it is a necessity. $3000 is certainly an exorbitant amount to spend on basic dental procedures. Wait till we "unveil" the price difference! But it can only get worse from here. Over 30K for more involved procedures is not unheard of in the US. As people turn to medical tourism more and more often, they face not the question of whether to go abroad for their treatments, but where to go.

India, Indonesia, Thailand usually the first locations that come to mind. But how comfortable do you really feel going for medical treatment to these faraway lands? It is one thing to go with the tourist group, and it is completely different to find yourself in these alien lands when you are undergoing medical procedures. Everything is so different from everything we know… Mexico? Seriously? With all the travel advisories about drug related violence? Eastern Europe sounds better and better, doesn't it?

Pre-reform or Post-reform it doesn't matter...

Just as it was mentioned in our previous post, the Healthcare Reform is not going to affect Medical Tourism in any way. It may even increase the demand for our services. Prices are not going to decrease, no way!
Let me tell you my story: I live in Florida.
One time I went to the local dentist to replace the filling that I lost while chewing my favorite caramel candy. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal… maybe it would cost me $100 or $200, oh no!!! It cost me $200 just for the exam and the X-rays… and then I was told that I needed a root-canal done and a dental cap. The estimated cost of this project was $3,000..! I almost fell on the floor! I needed time to think - $3,000 is a lot of money!

I spent a few days researching and talking to people, including my family in Eastern Europe, and I found the solution! Guess what that was?

Medical tourism in post-reform era?

In one of our last posts we expressed concern that healthcare reform is dead. We know now that it did, indeed, pass. However toothless it may be. What does it mean for medical tourism and our company? Even more opportunities!!! Recently my friend went to an orthopedic doctor to follow up after a bad ankle sprain that landed her in an emergency room several days earlier. The friend was getting ready for a track competition and wanted to make sure she is OK to participate. The doctor spent about 8 minutes with her, looked at the X-rays from the ER, wrote an RX for an MRI and commented on how he will not be able to read any results the next day because he was going to be on a boat. These 8 minutes commanded a charge of $700.00. That would be $5250 an hour! Can healthcare reform fix greed?

Clearly, one would not go abroad for a sprained ankle. But what about dental work or elective surgery?