Medical tourism: Overseas and under the knife

November 25, 2013

Until a few years ago, most Americans going abroad for medical care were either uninsured or wealthy and traveling for cosmetic surgeries. But what you pay your insurance company, as much as 30 percent in some cases, has made going abroad a worthwhile option for a lot more people. For example, if a hip replacement in the U.S. costs $65,000 and you have to pay $19,500 (30 percent), then going to Costa Rica and paying $11,500 is a huge saving. In some cases, insurance companies won’t even cover a procedure if they consider it a preexisting condition, leaving you with the entire bill (the Affordable Care Act looks to do away with this still-common practice in 2014). (Men’s Journal)