Medical Tourism

[unclepercy]

I may be barking up the wrong tree, but I have run across at least one Canadian who has opted for leaving the country to get better and cheaper dental treatment.

I needed to have one tooth pulled, and it cost me $912. We have no dental insurance, and basically it useless unless the company you work for pays for it. Because...most dental policies have a cap of $1200-$2000. That barely covers one root canal.

I have been reading that many Americans are leaving the country to have dental and medical work done because of the unaffordable prices. I need to do this, because I overheard the receptionst quote a person over the phone roughly $5,000 for one implant.
Multiply that time 28 = $140,000. Now I ask you - who can afford that?

I have found medical excursions to India that involve a cost of approximately 1/7 to 1/10 of the American cost. Also, some Americans are trying out Mexico, Hungary, and other eastern European cities.

Is any one familiar with medical tourism? Does anyone have a little time and interest to help me research this - independently - because I am going to have to make a decision pretty soon.

Many thanks,

Uncle Percy

 

[muffin girl]

I only paid 52 for one tooth to get pulled and that is without coverage and a root canal and cap was only 800 bucks........

 

[annabattler]

Immigrant Iranians return home to have their dental work done,very cheaply. You have to factor in air fare,but with family to visit there,it seems to work for them.

 

[tracy]

Plastic surgery is often done as a tourist procedure in countries in Eastern Europe (for western Europeans) and in South America for North Americans.

I would never have any procedure in a foreign country. I just couldn't know enough about the docs, dentists, hospitals, clinics, staff, etc. I've worked in healthcare long enough to know that it is important to be picky about those things. There have been several reports in the news relating to horrible complications from surgeries performed overseas. It just isn't worth the risk IMO.

 

[Canucklehead]

If anyone is impatient enough to go outside our country for medical procedures then there is nothing stopping them. However, if their foreign operation of choice goes horribly awry and complications set in, I do not believe that Canadians should foot the bill for correcting the mistakes. Ya can't have your cake and eat it too.


edit : spelling

 

[unclepercy]

Re: RE: Medical Tourism

If anyone is impatient enough to go outside our country for medical procedures then there is nothing stopping them. However, if their foreign operation of choice goes horribly awry and complications set in, I do not believe that Canadians should foot the bill for correcting the mistakes. Ya can't have your cake and eat it too.


edit : spelling

Well, as I said, I might be barking up the wrong tree asking Canadians. However, Americans are not in a similar situation with national health care. Do you have national dental care?

The crux of the matter is the MONEY. Do you sit around and let your teeth rot out because you can't afford $5,000 per tooth, or do you seek help in another country? If some thing goes wrong, you have no one to blame but yourself - our goverment could care less. I was inquiring if anyone was familiar with medical tourism.
Guess not.

Uncle