Thursday, April 23, 2009

Angioplasty and Medical Tourism

Thousands of people are choosing medical tourism as a fast, affordable way of dealing with both necessary and elective medical treatment.

One procedure readily available to the medical tourist is angioplasty. This coronary care treatment is used in a vast selection of medical tourism destinations.

What is Angioplasty?

Angioplasty is a procedure in which a narrowed section of the coronary artery is dilated with a balloon catheter. It is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time than coronary bypass surgery. Most of the time, stents are placed in the narrowed artery during the angioplasty procedure.

The stent is a meshlike metal material, and because of this, cells lining the blood vessel grow through and around the stent to help secure it to the arterial wall.

Reclosure of the blocked area is much less likely to occur when a stent is inserted than after an angioplasty without the stent.

The Procedure

The patient is given a mild sedative, which will make the person relaxed and sleepy, but he will usually remain awake during the procedure. A catheter (a thin, flexible tube) is inserted in the groin or arm through an artery and is carefully guided up the aorta into the blocked coronary artery.

Once the catheter has reached the blocked artery, a balloon at the end of the catheter is inflated. If a stent is used, this inflation pushes the stent open. Then the balloon is deflated, leaving the stent in place, and the catheter is removed. Blood flow to the affected area of the heart should then improve.

What to Consider:

One of the greatest benefits of the angioplasty is that, unlike bypass surgery, it does not require open-heart surgery. It is far less invasive. There is less risk of immediate complications. Evidence suggests that the long-term outcomes of both angioplasty and bypass surgery are similar. This makes angioplasty an ideal procedure to consider for medical tourism. There is a wide range of world-class facilities offering coronary care in many medical destinations.

In my opinion, Singapore, India and Thailand doctors are the best in doing the angioplasty procedure.

As with any medical procedure there are risks involved.

Preparations for Angioplasty Procedure:

Your doctor will probably want to do a number of tests, including x-rays, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and blood tests. You should inform your doctor of any medications you are taking, and any allergies you may have, especially allergies associated with the contrast materials necessary to create the x-ray images of the blood vessels.

You should not eat or drink after midnight the night before the procedure. Ask your doctor to advise you regarding any medication you may be taking.

What to Expect After Treatment:

After the angioplasty procedure, you will be moved to a recovery room or to the coronary care unit. Heart rate, blood pressure and pulse will be closely monitored. The site where the catheter was inserted will be checked for bleeding.

There will be a large bandage or compression device at the groin and catheter insertion site to help prevent bleeding. If the catheter was inserted through the groin, you will be instructed to keep your leg straight.

Usually you can start walking within less than 12 hours of the procedure. The average hospital stay after an angioplasty without any complications is one to two days. You may be able to resume exercise and driving after several days.

The relatively short hospital stay and quick recovery time make the angioplasty an ideal procedure for medical tourism. The benefits of medical travel include greatly reduced waiting time and significantly lower costs, and these should be considered.

The five top medical destinations in Asia offer world-class cardiology specialists and clinics. If you are considering an angioplasty, why not look into the possibility of medical travel to Asia? You can save time, costs, and enjoy a pleasant holiday abroad while taking care of your medical needs.

Medical Tourism for Non-medical Treatment

If you are wondering how to eliminate all your health problems without taking any medicine than there are many non-medical treatments available in different countries. There are many countries, each of them specialized in eliminating a particular type of health problem by procedures not involving any medical treatment or medicines provided by doctors. Thats the reason many people go for medical tourism in different countries for non medical treatments as well.

The country most famous for non-medical treatment is India. India is a type of country which is known worldwide for its ayurveda treatments. According to indian Ayurveda, life of a human being is a mixture of mind, senses,body and soul. According to ayurveda the structural aspect of every individual is made up of five elements, namely: water, earth, air, fire, and space. The laws of the nature govern it. The main aim of ayurveda is not only just treating diseases but to promote health in general. It takes care not just dealing with the physical aspects of a body but also spiritual health too. The magic of indian ayurvedic treatment is that, it not only cure diseases but also completely eliminate its root cause so that the disease dont come again. Many diseases arrive in body due to negative thoughts, emotions and poor thinking. Indian ayurveda doctors takes the emotional, mental, and spiritual well being also and medicine is rare. Ayurveda take care to understand each person at a very subtle personal level and giving a detailed description about daily routine, diet, life-style, actions and activities to be followed. This is one of the reason that medical tourism to India is spreading like nothing.

Another reason to visit india for medical tourism is to get non-medical treatments by Yoga and meditation. Many indian Yogis never get ill or sick as they have a routine to keep themselves fit through morning yoga and meditation. People from different countries visit India to learn Yoga and meditation from Indian Gurus. There are many Yoga centers for advanced yoga training in different cities of India offering non commercial ayurvedic treatments enabling people to focus exclusively on their health. Various types of treatments are given for health problems like depression, stomach problems, weight loss, stress, high and low blood pressure, diabetes, non-sleeping, addictions, beauty therapy and more. Indian Yoga involves Yogasanas(excersies in different body styles) for each type of disease or health problem. It benifit greatly if these exercises are added along with prayers and pujas. Indian yoga also involve meditation where one has to sit alone in a room in relaxed position and by closing eyes, have to see the thoughts coming in mind. This greatly helps to reduce extra thoughts in mind which is the root cause of most of the mental health problems. So visting India for medical tourism is must if you need non-medical treatment.

Another great reason why people visit to India for medical tourism is to get their health back through Siddha medicine which is a non-medical treatment using a variety of herbs and minerals, many of which were developed in the ancient past under advanced scientific techniques, even by today's standards. Many chronic diseases, considered incurable in western medicine, can be treated successfully with Siddha medicine.

According to an article published in one of Indian newspaper, India is the country which provide the best of Western and Eastern healthcare systems. Indian Yoga, Ayurveda, and Siddha can be India’s gift to the world. Ayurveda is recognised as an official healthcare system in Hungary. Doctors in the West are increasingly prescribing Indian Systems of Medicine. More than 70 per cent of the American population prefer a natural approach to health. Americans are said to spend around USD 25 bn on non-traditional medical therapies and products. Thats the reason more and more, people from many other countries of the world are seeking out places where they can both enjoy a vacation and obtain medical treatment at a reasonable price and India is better place for medical tourism in every regard.

Medical Tourism: Quality Affordable Medical Care For The Uninsured

Most businesses acknowledge that there is nothing better than a personal testimonial from a satisfied client to boost their business. At the rate, those businesses specializing in medical tourism are receiving those rave reviews today; it is enough to inspire envy with a capital ‘E' among other industry leaders.

Without health insurance, the average household is one major medical bill away from bankruptcy, a possibility facing nearly 45 million adults in the United States today. Medical tourism representatives say they hear stories every day about the impact their business is making on the quality of people's lives both medically and financially, short and long term.

One company, Med Journeys, shared the letter below from the *son of a client for this article. The patient, rejected by the healthcare system in the U.S. decided that that the option to use medical tourism was his only alternative:

"My dad was one of the millions that lost his insurance last year and was facing a life in a wheelchair because he could not afford double knee replacement surgery. When a friend pointed him in the direction of your company, he was tired, in considerable pain, and more than a bit anxious over the thought of traveling to another country for surgery.

Understandably cautious, Dad went to great lengths to research the procedures as well as your company. He was pleased to find out that each journey is arranged through a respected, knowledgeable and trustworthy agent. He was even more pleased to find that each agent had established relationships with the most respected medical facilities in the world.

In the end, what made the entire trip possible was the amount of care and thought that went into the entire process, as well as the cost. Passport assistance, round trip airfares, all medical expenses including x-rays, anesthesia, surgery, pre & post op treatment, physical therapy, doctors, medications, hospital stay with one companion, and recovery at a beautiful guest house complete with meals was completely covered in one inclusive price!

From the moment my parent's plane touched down, they were taken care of in a manner that allowed them to focus on my Dad's health and well-being. Mom and Dad were met at the airport and taken to the hospital without any fuss or confusion. On the day of my Dad's surgery, my mother was able to relax on a beautiful hospital balcony in New Delhi. One of the world's finest orthopedic surgeons performed the surgery itself. This doctor has performed over 3500 joint replacement surgeries in his long career.

My parents returned home completely satisfied with their experience. Dad has repeatedly stated that because of your company he had complete confidence in, and indeed, experienced care in India far superior to any care he received recently in the states. He was also happy the way my Mom was treated and even encouraged to relax and sightsee while he was receiving therapy.

I am of course as delighted as my parents are. Dad still cannot get over the price of the surgery. His double knee replacement surgeries cost my Dad only 17% of the cost he would have incurred in the United States!

I would like to convey our thanks on behalf of our entire family. You have given us back our Dad." - R. L. (2009 - Reprinted with permission - Med Journeys)

Medical tourism is fast becoming a viable, alternative solution to the rising health care crisis facing the United States. Medical tourism advocates work continually to improve knowledge of the process and remove the myths surrounding the practice of medicine in foreign countries. In 2008 alone, an estimated 1.5 million people underwent surgery in exotic locations such as Thailand, Brazil, India, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and Singapore. Moreover, all the surgery performed is done at world-class hospitals by teams of surgeons and doctors educated at Princeton, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins.

Today's economic climate requires every individual to begin to think outside the box when it comes to getting quality affordable medical care. With the help of medical tourism, even those in desperate straits, may now think outside of the country when it comes to having their medical needs met and solutions to their healthcare problems resolved.

Get the Best Healthcare Cum Tourism Benefits With Medical Tourism

There are many people who avoid going on a vacation just because they are undergoing any treatment and they cannot waste their money in going on a vacation. Since everyone likes to explore new places, this seems quite disheartening that one is restraining him or herself just because of poor health. For people who cannot enjoy every brighter aspect of life just because of their poor health, medical tourism is such a service, which incorporates the finest tourism and medical benefits. In a broad sense, it can be defined as the provision of cost effective medical services in collaboration with the tourism industry; basically, this service is tailored for patients needing surgical and other kind of specialized treatments.

This service is facilitated by the corporate sector involved in medical care and tourism industry; moreover, both private and public sectors equally participate in providing people with the great medical tourism service. It refers to traveling to other countries to get specialized and cost effective medical care. People, who go for medical tourism, also experience the attractions of the destination country. Since, cost of healthcare services is very high, a patient can get cost effective but specialized treatment with it; at the same time he or she can also explore the beauty and culture of that country. It is quite true that the credit of making these services popular among global patients goes to globalization; it is global communication and unity that made it possible for every patient to have the best healthcare services in foreign countries. At present, n numbers of countries are conducting these double beneficial traveling and healthcare packages; these countries include a wide network of service providers such as airlines, hotels and resorts, traveling agents and hospitals so that a patient may get best care and services at every step.

Countries that are involved in medical tourism also offer numerous options for touring, visiting the attractions, shopping and exploring. These services are efficient enough to make one’s visit comfortable as well as memorable; in fact, a patient can also extend his or her package by paying some additional cost. Though India and South America are the most popular choices for medical tourism at present but as this industry is growing so rapidly, many other countries are also coming forward with excellent healthcare cum touring services. Since going abroad to have any specific treatment enclose a wide variety of benefits, every year more and more people are approaching these countries.

If you consider your health problems as a nightmare due to the high cost of treatments and healthcare services, then just go for medical tourism and explore the destination country with the best medical services. Definitely, it is the lure of affordable medical services that is making thousands of people move towards these countries. In fact, this lure is quite obvious, as these countries are not only rich in natural and historical beauty but are also equipped with various major hospitals. It is for sure that these healthcare centers and hospitals will never let you realize the shortage of any facility as they are well outfitted with latest technology and high-tech equipments.

The Concept of Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is the act of traveling to other nations to obtain medical, services. The concept medical tourism was initially coined by the travel agencies and the media as a catchall phrase to describe a fast growing industry where people travel to different nations to obtain medical services. Leisure aspect of traveling can be included on such a medical travel trip. It includes medical health care services (inclusive of elective procedure and complex specialized surgeries) like knee/hip replacement, heart surgery, dental procedures and different cosmetic surgery.

The idea of Medical Tourism is not a new one. The earliest recorded event of medical tourism dates back hundreds of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from Mediterranean to the small place in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This place was the sanctuary of the healing God Asklepios. Epidauria then became the original travel destination for medical tourism.

In the recent days, people would travel from all over the world to have surgery done in clinics in the United States; but, the changing political situation in the USA imposed unreasonable visa restrictions on many persons who in the past traveled with fewer restrictions (especially people from the Middle East). What emerged as a result of different factors, including the increasing cost of medical care service in the US, is a phenomenon which has insurance service providers, Third Party Administrators (TPA's) and self-insured organization evaluating a future stake in a burgeoning industry that has yet to be fully developed. This event in health care service is similar to the longstanding practice of sending manufacturing and service jobs offshore. However, many analyzers are surprised by the fact that services provided by medical professionals are now going the way of other industries. Likewise, few industry analyzers have noted that medical tourism will result to a $10 billion industry by 2009. The advantage to foreign doctors and clinics is obvious, but the future difficulty to American medicine remains unclear and a matter of contention in the American medical service community.

A combination of large numbers of factors has led to the recent increase in popularity of medical tourism the huge cost of healthcare in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of international travel, and the advancement of technology and standards of medical service in many countries of the world.

A big draw to medical tourism is the convenience in comparison to that of other countries. Few nations that operate from a public health care systems are so taxed that it can take a long time, to get required medical care. The time duration spent for waiting for a procedure, such as a hip replacement, may be a year or more in Britain and Canada; however, in Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Philippines or Bangalore, a patient may have their operation on the same day of their arrival. Additionally, many peoples are finding that insurance coverage either does not cover orthopedic surgery or charges unreasonable restrictions on the choice of the facility, surgeon or prosthetics to be used within the United States. Medical tourism for knee or hip replacements has came as one of the most widely accepted procedures because of the least cost and minimum difficulties concerned with traveling to and from the surgery. Colombia offers a knee replacement for about $5000 USD including all associated charges like FDA approved prosthetics and hospital stay over expenses.

Idea pushing medical traveling assumes lower health care services fess as well as the search for medical experts, quality of care, safety, and waiting times. In he nation Canada, the number of procedures in 2005 for which patients were waiting was 782,936. Again, in the same year, Canada recorded the highest level of health spending in its history.
As per the research found in an article by the University of Delaware publication, the cost of surgery in Bolivia, Argentina, India, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines can be one tenth of what it is in the United States and sometimes even less. A heart valve replacement that would cost US$200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for $10,000 in the India and that also includes round trip airfare and a vacation package. Similarly, a metal free dental bridge costs $5,500 in the U.S. and $500 in India and only $200 in the Philippines, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy charges about one fifth of what it would be in the States, and Lasik eye surgery costs $3,700 in the U.S. is available in many other countries for only $730.

Medical tourists may come from any parts of the world and may seek necessary health care services such as cancer treatment and brain and transplant surgery as well as complementary or 'elective' services like aesthetic treatments. While the medical tourism component might be a huge draw for few Southeast Asia nation that focus on simple procedures. India is positioning itself the primary medical tourism destination for the most complex medical procedures in the world.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Medical Tourism: Seeking Affordable Healthcare Overseas

Because the cost of U.S. healthcare remains high, medical tourism could save an American patient thousands of dollars on procedures such as cosmetic or dental surgeries—as long as they are willing to travel to a foreign country where the costs are considerably lower. Foreign real estate investors can also indirectly benefit from the medical tourism industry, which appears to have a positive impact on the economies of developing destination countries.

The concept of traveling for medical care is nothing new, but the modern concept of medical tourism—traveling to foreign countries specifically for lower cost of care—has only emerged in the past 10 to 15 years, David E. Williams, cofounder and principal of MedPharma partners, and author of HealthBusinessBlog.com, said.

But “in a mainstream way it’s really only started to take off in the past year or two,” because more people are traveling around the world than they were ten years ago, and because the Internet has made long-distance communication more practical, he said.

The numbers of clients for MedRetreat, an American medical tourism services company, have nearly doubled each year since 2005, with approximately 200 clients in 2005, 350 clients in 2006 and 650 clients in 2007, Patrick Marsek, the company’s managing director, said.

Most clients are paying for health care procedures out of their pocket, specifically uninsured or under-insured American patients in need of costly medical surgeries, and clients who seek elective cosmetic or dental procedures, Marsek said.

“There’s a huge range of potential cost savings, anywhere from 50 to 80 percent depending on where [they] go and which procedures [are done],” Marsek said.

An operating room in a plastic surgery clinic
Medical tourism is most often for cosmetic surgery
It is possible for patients to pay for foreign medical expenses with money from their health savings account (HSA). As the number of people with HSAs increases, and people have to take more responsibility for their medical costs, medical tourism could grow even more.

Cosmetic and dental surgeries are the most popular procedures because “those are services that typically are not covered by insurance,” Williams said. Many patients travel to South or Central American countries such as Brazil, Argentina or Costa Rica for cosmetic procedures, where it is cost effective to travel and cosmetic surgery is advanced. For example, a full face and neck lift procedure could cost $12,000 in the U.S., while the same procedure could cost as little as $3,800 abroad, Marsek said.

In vitro fertilization procedures are also becoming popular because the cost of the procedure is high in the U.S., Williams said.

The savings for uninsured clients in need of cardiovascular or orthopedic procedures are perhaps the most dramatic because costs for those procedures are so exorbitant in the U.S. Hip replacement surgery, for example, could cost anywhere between $40,000 and $65,000 in the U.S., whereas a patient might pay between $8,000 and $18,000, which includes travel costs, to receive the procedure overseas, Marsek said.

Marsek said some of the least expensive destinations to receive hip replacement surgery are in India; however, “there’s [a different] price to be paid for going [there],” he said.

“It’s a huge culture shock for Americans to go to India,” Marsek said. “Patients should know that medical tourism is not only about receiving a high-quality procedure...it’s [also] about the total experience of when [they are] there. You have to be emotionally and psychologically prepared...as well as physically prepared.”

Quality of care

Patients might have questions about the quality of care overseas; however, one quarter of physicians in the U.S. are foreign-born, “so the concept of having a Thai...or an Indian physician is really nothing very new or very foreign to an American patient these days,” Williams said.

Furthermore, “people are also coming to realize that the U.S. health system, despite being the most expensive, is not perfect,” he said.

It’s difficult to figure out the quality of any particular overseas provider, and “if anything goes wrong you’re far away from your support network,” Williams said.

Consequently, patients should “do their homework” and work with a professional organization that has experience with overseas medical travel, Marsek said.

MedRetreat, for example, has performed extensive, on-the-ground due diligence on foreign hospitals that wish to participate in the medical tourism industry and has turned down more than half of candidate hospitals because they fell short of the company’s quality standards, Marsek said on a MedRetreat.com podcast.

Medical tourism offers quality care at a large discount to those willing to travel
Medical tourists can find high quality of care
Hospitals that participate in medical tourism usually reserve the highest quality of care and best physicians for international patients, Marsek said.

In terms of the actual procedure, “they really err on the side of caution overseas,” Marsek said.

“The absolute worst thing that could happen to a hospital overseas is to have a procedure go bad, and [for that patient to] come back to the U.S. and talk to CNN the next day,” he said. “That hospital could potentially be out of the medical tourism industry...forever.”

MedRetreat clients generally spend three times as much time in a hospital overseas than they would in the U.S. after having a similar procedure performed, Marsek said. Clients also tend to experience more hospitality—friendliness, compassion and caring—overseas.

“They’re not trying to push you out of the hospital,” Marsek said.

In a paper issued by MedPharma and MedTripinfo.com last fall, Williams and his colleague John Seus predicted that U.S. physicians, in general, will not object to medical tourism. Many U.S. physicians are familiar with foreign doctors, or are originally from foreign countries themselves, and understand the credibility of receiving care abroad, Williams said. Furthermore, physicians are probably not worried about losing business because of a shortage of physicians in the U.S. that is causing many patients to be turned away.

Thus far, the prediction seems accurate and there doesn’t seem to be any “huge outcry” by doctors against medical tourism, Williams said.

Considerations and risks of medical tourism

Quality of care abroad is not necessarily cause for concern, especially for patients who book their medical tour through a reliable company. However, other considerations about medical tourism should be taken into account.

First, patients need to decide whether or not opting for a medical tour makes sense, financially and physically. MedRetreat's website recommends “The $6,000 Rule.” A procedure that costs $6,000 in the U.S. would probably “realize a break-even scenario” if the patient elected to go abroad, because the overhead created by travel costs would cancel out the money saved for the actual procedure.

Nevertheless, some clients choose to go for the experience as well as the care, and Medretreat has “perpetual medical tourists,” Marsek said.

“Many people still choose to travel abroad to achieve complete privacy and anonymity, peaceful recuperation, and the avoidance of daily hometown distractions,” according to the MedRetreat website. The company’s clients enjoy a two- to three-week vacation in luxury accommodations following their procedure.

American patients with a medical condition should have their diagnosis performed in the U.S., Marsek said. After finding out what procedure needs to be done, they can ask the approximate cost and their physician should be able to give them “a ballpark figure,” he said. That figure can then be compared with the cost of having the same procedure performed overseas.

In addition to financial considerations, medical tourism is not physically appropriate for all patients, especially patients in need of high-risk medical procedures.

“We can’t [take patients in need of] quadruple-bypass [surgery] and facilitate those [procedures] overseas,” Marsek said.

A doctor explains a procedure to a patient
Communication barriers are one cause of concern for medical tourists
Once a patient has traveled to a foreign country for care, he or she may face the risk of miscommunication resulting from a lack of familiarity with a foreign culture and language barriers, Williams said.

Because of all the risks involved, clients might want to have the option of canceling their procedure after they arrive in their destination country without taking a huge financial hit, Marsek said. MedRetreat promises to return the 20 percent deposit for a procedure if the client should change their mind after arriving. As a result, the financial risk to the client is only the cost of travel and cost of stay.

But none of their clients have ever felt the need to use this option, according to the MedRetreat podcast.

Refund policies vary between companies, so consumers should research multiple companies before making a decision.

Impacts on economic health

Foreign real estate investors might be interested to know that the impact on medical tourism destination economies should be “very positive,” according to Williams. Popular medical tourist destinations include developing countries such as India, the Phillipines and South and Central American countries, as well as fairly developed countries, such as Singapore and South Korea.

One important benefit of medical tourism for these countries is that the influx of international patients will create career opportunities that encourage foreign physicians to remain in their home countries as opposed to moving to the U.S. to make a living.

Furthermore, medical tourism has a positive impact “all the way down the economic ladder,” from high-educated occupations in medicine and hospital administration to the unskilled trades.

Overall, medical tourism will have a positive impact “directly by improving the health care infrastructure within a country, and indirectly because of all the new economic activity that’s generated and opportunity for growth,” Williams said.

Destination countries are realizing the value of medical tourism, and “there are [initiatives] at the government level or at the individual hospital level...to try to lure tourists from the [U.S.], Western Europe or Canada,” Williams said. As a result of the increasing supply of participating hospitals, an increasing number of medical tourism companies are emerging onto the scene to get between care providers and consumers to arrange medical tours.

As for the effects of medical tourism on U.S. health care costs, the direct impact will probably not be large, Williams said.

“At the end of the day...most procedures are not suitable for going abroad, and most patients, even if offered the opportunity, won’t take advantage of it,” he said.

Still, the secondary impact on the U.S. health care industry will be substantial; for instance, an increasing number of “mini-med plans” will begin covering medical procedures performed overseas. According to the results of a survey called Health Care Benefits: Eligibility, Coverage and Exclusions, medical tourism is already being covered by 11 percent of organizations surveyed—a surprisingly large number, Williams said.

“U.S. hospitals and physicians [will be] competing for the first time on an international basis and not just on a local or regional basis,” Williams said.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

UNITED STATES: Medical tourism insurance for companies launched

Texas-based US Risk Underwriters has launched a new professional liability product for the medical tourism industry called MedTour Pro for Employers.

This and related MedTour products only cover treatment outside the US for US-based travellers, agencies and employers.

MedTour Pro for Employers is designed for US companies that provide freedom of choice to their employees, including an option to obtain medical services abroad.

The coverage is for damages caused by any actual or alleged negligent act, error or omission by the insured while providing options for medical tourism services. MedTour Pro for Employers is written by reputable insurance companies on a claims-made basis, with limits offered at US$1M, and a minimum premium of US$5,000. While MedTour for US-based medical tourism agencies offers a range of limits and a minimum premium of US$2,200.

The cover is designed to respond to employers’ needs whenever they are sued for any wrong-doing that is involved with administration of medical travel benefits.

“MedTour – Travel and Medical Complications” is a travel policy plus non-negligent trigger coverage that pays out when there is a complication without having to assess negligence. This is not available for individual purchase and can only be bought by an employer or a medical tourism agency.

The travel and medical complications package can either be automatically included in the agency fees, or offered as an option to customers. The first-known sale is to an American who went to Trinidad for cancer surgery, arranged by Mobile Surgery International (MSI).


http://www.imtjonline.com/news/united-states-medical-tourism-insurance-for-com