How does Medical Tourism Work?
October 6, 2023 6:16 AM Subscribe
I'm in Asia and my local international hospital has quoted me $27K for an outpatient surgical procedure - 5x the average price I've found online. My understanding is that many other folks who can't afford their local prices fly elsewhere, but how is this all arranged? Do you just grab a bunch of hospitals in other countries and email them asking for a rough quote? It seems that medical tourism is pretty popular, but I don't understand how the logistics work, and I'm also guessing it's different per hospital? How is everyone else doing this?
For what it's worth: I have tried other local hospital sites here, and although I haven't found prices, it seems common to specify that international patients will be charged 200% of the local rate, so I'm guessing this is not a country focused on offering competitive rates/ encouraging medical tourism.
From what I've researched so far: of countries which frequently return in "good for medical tourism" lists, some have hospital sites with sections specifically oriented towards international patients who wish to fly in for procedures (e.g. South Korea), whereas others (e.g. Taiwan) say on their sites that they accept/ cater to international patients, but those seem more oriented towards international patients who are already there, which is an entirely different thing.
My fantasy is that I will compile a list of suitable hospitals, email them all the details of my situation, and wind up with a list of rough quotes. I'm guessing though that it won't play out that way: of course it's hard to give a quote without actually seeing the patient (some places offer video consultations, although not for cheap), which is why I'm wondering how medical tourism is a thing when it seems so difficult to navigate - or to put it another way, this is the hurdle that needs to be crossed by countries/ hospitals wishing to make their medical services available to folks from abroad, so how is that getting done?
For what it's worth: I have tried other local hospital sites here, and although I haven't found prices, it seems common to specify that international patients will be charged 200% of the local rate, so I'm guessing this is not a country focused on offering competitive rates/ encouraging medical tourism.
From what I've researched so far: of countries which frequently return in "good for medical tourism" lists, some have hospital sites with sections specifically oriented towards international patients who wish to fly in for procedures (e.g. South Korea), whereas others (e.g. Taiwan) say on their sites that they accept/ cater to international patients, but those seem more oriented towards international patients who are already there, which is an entirely different thing.
My fantasy is that I will compile a list of suitable hospitals, email them all the details of my situation, and wind up with a list of rough quotes. I'm guessing though that it won't play out that way: of course it's hard to give a quote without actually seeing the patient (some places offer video consultations, although not for cheap), which is why I'm wondering how medical tourism is a thing when it seems so difficult to navigate - or to put it another way, this is the hurdle that needs to be crossed by countries/ hospitals wishing to make their medical services available to folks from abroad, so how is that getting done?
I had gender affirming surgery overseas this year, and the way that worked was that I emailed a specific surgeon to find out his prices and whether he had availability, then we had an online video consult, then I booked the surgery and accommodation for two weeks (for followup appointments) in the city where he was based.
I wonder if the fact that there are few good resources is because people aren't seeking "medical tourism" as a generic service; they need to get their knee fixed or dental work or whatever.
I found out about my surgeon on the subreddit dedicated to that specific type of surgery; you might have better luck asking for specific recommendations for the procedure you need on forums for folks who have the same issue, and then contacting those recommendations directly for more details.
posted by terretu at 7:29 AM on October 6, 2023 [11 favorites]
I wonder if the fact that there are few good resources is because people aren't seeking "medical tourism" as a generic service; they need to get their knee fixed or dental work or whatever.
I found out about my surgeon on the subreddit dedicated to that specific type of surgery; you might have better luck asking for specific recommendations for the procedure you need on forums for folks who have the same issue, and then contacting those recommendations directly for more details.
posted by terretu at 7:29 AM on October 6, 2023 [11 favorites]
Rates for domestic patients may be subject to caps or governmental subsidies, rates for foreigners are unlikely to be.
A significant %rate difference may say more about local living standards and government stance on healthcare than whether a hospital caters to medical tourists/a procedure would be more affordable than at home.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:45 AM on October 7, 2023
A significant %rate difference may say more about local living standards and government stance on healthcare than whether a hospital caters to medical tourists/a procedure would be more affordable than at home.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:45 AM on October 7, 2023
I have looked into medical tourism.
The answer to your question how do the logistics work is that people get referrals, there's advertising, there are medical tourism focused cities, etc. Many of the usual ways tourists find a service apply to medical tourism.
The answer to your question how does it work, is that since everyday people can't get access to affordable healthcare in their own country, they go to someone else's country and get medical there. It sounds good and fine and all, until you realize that there are a finite-and-shrinking number of healthcare providers, and that medical tourism is all about people in rich countries hogging the resources of people in non-rich countries. The effect is that poor people in medical tourism countries are more likely to have less or no access to the medical providers (that they paid to help train with their tax money).
posted by aniola at 12:14 PM on October 7, 2023
The answer to your question how do the logistics work is that people get referrals, there's advertising, there are medical tourism focused cities, etc. Many of the usual ways tourists find a service apply to medical tourism.
The answer to your question how does it work, is that since everyday people can't get access to affordable healthcare in their own country, they go to someone else's country and get medical there. It sounds good and fine and all, until you realize that there are a finite-and-shrinking number of healthcare providers, and that medical tourism is all about people in rich countries hogging the resources of people in non-rich countries. The effect is that poor people in medical tourism countries are more likely to have less or no access to the medical providers (that they paid to help train with their tax money).
posted by aniola at 12:14 PM on October 7, 2023
Response by poster: Just came back to update this thread with what actually happened:
1. I did just grab a bunch of hospitals in other countries and asked them for rough quotes.
2. What I wrote above about some hospitals having sections of their sites for international patients who wish to fly in for procedures is incorrect: although almost all the South Korean hospitals I contacted got back to me with a quote, when I asked for further details - i.e. when could consultations and surgery be done, so that I could arrange travel - things broke down, giving me the sense that the international patients SK hospitals cater to are those already in SK. The hospitals I contacted in Taiwan didn't reply, so I assume it's the same case there.
3. I also asked a SK hospital about when I could arrange a consultation, and it was over a month out, and I couldn't get answer around when surgery could be scheduled, which ties in with details I found online about SK hospitals being really busy.
4. The hospitals I contacted in Thailand and Malaysia were more oriented towards international patients flying in for a procedure.
5. As expected, communicating and making arrangements without a consultation made this process quite difficult, and things moved quicker once I had my medical report from my local hospital to share.
5. I received good initial responses from two hospitals in Malaysia - Gleneagles and Prince Court - but then Prince Court twice didn't reply to questions (the 2nd time after calling them up).
6. Gleneagles - specifically the consultant's office I was working with - were good to communicate with online and over the phone, and were able to fit me in for a consultancy and surgery within a week.
7. I flew down to Malaysia and got the surgery done for $6K.
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 9:33 PM on November 14, 2023
1. I did just grab a bunch of hospitals in other countries and asked them for rough quotes.
2. What I wrote above about some hospitals having sections of their sites for international patients who wish to fly in for procedures is incorrect: although almost all the South Korean hospitals I contacted got back to me with a quote, when I asked for further details - i.e. when could consultations and surgery be done, so that I could arrange travel - things broke down, giving me the sense that the international patients SK hospitals cater to are those already in SK. The hospitals I contacted in Taiwan didn't reply, so I assume it's the same case there.
3. I also asked a SK hospital about when I could arrange a consultation, and it was over a month out, and I couldn't get answer around when surgery could be scheduled, which ties in with details I found online about SK hospitals being really busy.
4. The hospitals I contacted in Thailand and Malaysia were more oriented towards international patients flying in for a procedure.
5. As expected, communicating and making arrangements without a consultation made this process quite difficult, and things moved quicker once I had my medical report from my local hospital to share.
5. I received good initial responses from two hospitals in Malaysia - Gleneagles and Prince Court - but then Prince Court twice didn't reply to questions (the 2nd time after calling them up).
6. Gleneagles - specifically the consultant's office I was working with - were good to communicate with online and over the phone, and were able to fit me in for a consultancy and surgery within a week.
7. I flew down to Malaysia and got the surgery done for $6K.
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 9:33 PM on November 14, 2023
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posted by Lyn Never at 6:23 AM on October 6, 2023 [3 favorites]