Ailing U.S. economy delivers a blow to 'medical tourism'

From USA TODAY    MOST ELECT TO STAY PUT

A survey of consumers in 2009 found:
 9% likely to travel outside the USA to have an elective surgical procedure if they could save 50% or more;
69% not likely to travel outside the USA for an elective surgical procedure.
Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Fewer U.S. patients are traveling abroad for non-emergency medical procedures, such as hip replacements or cosmetic surgery, because of the recession.

From 2007 to 2009, the number of Americans traveling abroad for elective medical procedures is expected to have fallen as much as 13.6%, according to a report by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a research center focused on trends in the health care system.

Rising transportation costs and decreased consumer incomes and savings probably contributed to the fall in medical tourism, the report says. During the recession, patients also may have opted to forgo non-emergency procedures, the bulk of medical tourism.

In 2007, about 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for medical care, many seeking procedures that are 30%-70% cheaper abroad, even with the cost of travel, Deloitte research shows. In 2008, as the U.S. economy stalled, the number fell to 540,000.

The report projects an increase by the end of 2009 to about 648,000 patients – still 13.6% fewer than in 2007.

The Deloitte Center also predicts the number of American medical tourists will rise by 35% each year through 2012.

Pent-up demand and improvements in international medical care will likely fuel the rise, says Paul Keckley, executive director of the center. Many international physicians are trained in the USA, then return to their home countries to practice, he says.

 

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