{"id":1411,"date":"2014-07-01T04:45:47","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T08:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=1411"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:45:32","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T20:45:32","slug":"medical-tourism-expats-retirees-latin-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/medical-tourism-expats-retirees-latin-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Tourism for Expats and Retirees in Latin America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Definition of Medical Tourism<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Medical tourism<\/b><\/a> refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable at home.\u00a0<\/sup><\/sup>However, in recent years it may equally refer to those from developed countries who travel to developing countries for lower-priced medical treatments. The motivation may be also for medical services unavailable or non-licensed in their home country.<\/p>\n

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High Medical Costs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Medical costs and healthcare are undeniably high in countries like the United States and Canada.\u00a0 And now there\u2019s the turmoil of the changing insurance system through Obamacare that is leaving many people frustrated.\u00a0 If you\u2019re one of these people, then it might be time to look into medical tourism, whether you plan on permanently leaving the States or not.<\/p>\n

Teresa (age 58) had recently been paying out of pocket for her health insurance since she was working two part-time jobs that didn\u2019t provide benefits.\u00a0 She had hardly collected against her insurance at all her entire life but she had always been told that it\u2019s better to be safe than sorry, so she continued to maintain it.<\/p>\n

She had recently gone to Ecuador to visit her daughter who was living there on next to no money every month.\u00a0 Shortly after she returned, she began to have chest tension and chronic fatigue.\u00a0 After going to the doctor, she learned that she was going to need a double bypass.\u00a0 Of course, when she consulted with her insurance, she learned that they weren\u2019t going to cover the procedure because she was a smoker.\u00a0 The price tag: Over $140,000.<\/p>\n

She remembered that her daughter had mentioned how inexpensive and good the healthcare in Cuenca was and decided to do some research.\u00a0 After contacting several doctors and doing her due diligence, Teresa was able to schedule the surgery in Ecuador, for a fraction of the price: Only $12,000.<\/p>\n

Expats and retirees abroad are already reaping the rewards of foreign healthcare systems <\/a>all over the world.\u00a0 However, even for them, some procedures can be cheaper in another country.\u00a0 If you need to have a large procedure done, but don\u2019t want to pay outrageous prices, these Latin American countries can provide you with the services you need without sacrificing quality.<\/p>\n

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Ecuador<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Particularly in Cuenca, a typical medical procedure will only cost a tenth of what it would in the United States.<\/p>\n

A lot of expats can attest to the fact that getting medical treatments abroad is just as good as the ones back home. In fact, some will even tell you that it is better in Ecuador. Thanks to this feedback, a lot of health care branches in developed countries, like the USA, have expanded to include countries like Ecuador.<\/p>\n

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Costa Rica<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Its popularity is well earned.\u00a0 Here you can expect to pay about half of what you normally would, and with virtually no waiting list for surgeries.<\/p>\n

n 2013, approximately 900,000 medical travellers left the US to travel overseas for health tourism. Costa Rica<\/a> was the third most visited location for these travellers, ranking above India and Singapore and after Mexico and Thailand. Costa Rica\u2019s proximity and safety in comparison to other medical tourism destinations, guarantees that Costa Rica will continue to be an extremely important destination for medical tourism in the coming years.<\/p>\n

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Panama<\/strong><\/h2>\n

healthcare business is growing rapidly in\u00a0Panama<\/a>. For most healthcare procedures, Panama is far less expensive than Mexico, or even neighboring Costa Rica. In part, this is due to a lower wage scale for nurse care and lower cost for hospital stays.<\/p>\n

Panama ranks high on\u00a0the list of destinations for medical tourism.<\/b><\/p>\n

In Panama, the health care services that consistently rate highest on the list for quality, and cost\u00a0savings, among expats surveyed were:<\/p>\n