MAJOR DESTINATIONS FOR MEDICAL TOURISM, PART- 4

Cuba
Cuba a very small country next to US is one of the oldest and the most sought after medical tourist destination for the past 40 years. Every year the country attracts thousands of patients from Latin America and Europe, as the country is gifted with the fine reputation of the Cuban doctors, the low prices and nearby beaches. In 2006, 20,000 health tourists visited Cuba.
Medical treatments included joint replacement, cancer treatment, eye surgery, cosmetic surgery and addictions rehabilitation. Costs are about 60 to 80 percent less than US costs.
Cuba has hospitals for Cuban residents and others that focus on serving foreigners and diplomats. The Cuban government has developed Cuban medical tourism to generate income for the country. Residents of Canada, the UK and most other countries can travel to Cuba without any difficulty a tourist visa is generally required. For Americans, however, because of the US trade policy towards Cuba, travelers must either obtain US government approval, or, more frequently, travel to Cuba from Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica or the Dominican Republic. Cuban immigration authorities do not stamp the passports of US visitors so that Americans can keep their travels a private matter.

Mexico
Americans, particularly those living near the Mexican border, now routinely cross to Mexico for medical care. Popular specialties include dentistry and plastic surgery. Mexican dentists often charge one-fifth to one-fourth of US prices, while other procedures typically cost a third what they would in the US.
This trend has alarmed American healthcare providers who, fearing a loss of business, warn patients away from Mexico. "The phenomenon has unsettled US-based dentists who tell horror stories of rampant infections, undetected cases of oral cancer and shoddy work south of the border", claims hotly disputed by Mexican dentists. In Texas, legislators explored the possibility of allowing health maintenance organizations to operate on both sides of the border. However, physicians in south Texas lobbied against the changes, arguing that local doctors could not compete with the lower costs in Mexico. US doctors point out that the Mexican legal system makes it almost impossible to sue Mexican doctors for malpractice.
However, many who travel to Mexico for care report that they are satisfied. According to a report commissioned by Families U.S.A., a Washington advocacy group for health-care issues, about 90 percent the care they had received in Mexico had been good or excellent. About 80 percent rated the care they had received in the United States as good or excellent.
Indeed some U.S. dentists have conceded to the competition and begun a 'reverse migration' opening offices in Mexico to take advantage of lower costs. More American insurers are providing coverage for travelers, as the out-of-pocket costs to them are much lower. With healthcare costs in the United States continuing to rise, many employers in Southern California are turning to insurance plans that send their workers to Mexico for routine care, plans that are growing by nearly 3,000 people a year.
In addition to dental and plastic surgery, Mexican hospitals are popular for bariatric surgery for weight loss, considered an elective procedure that is not covered by some US insurers. A popular bariatric procedure, lap band surgery, which was approved by the FDA in the US in 2001, has been performed for longer by Mexican surgeons.

To be continued……