Medical Tourism Shows Healthy Growth in Costa Rica

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My first visit to Costa Rica, in 1985, was to write about a spa program. I was the only male traveling with a dozen females. We'd awake at dawn to perform yoga alfresco in the cloud forest. And I recall fondly watching monkeys scamper along the sands as we exercised on Playa Guiones. Each night local medical experts gave presentations. One night, a plastic surgeon wowed us all with photos of chin tucks and boob jobs. Next day, two participants disappeared. They returned the following day visibly enhanced. "A gift to my hubby!" said one.

That memory, and today’s health-care debate, set me to thinking about medical tourism.

I dread the thought of coming down sick in the United States, where the health system is totally unfair and wacky (I'm from England, where I cherish the memory of having received free–and quality–dental and health care for everyone, funded by taxes). If I fall ill, I'll hop a plane to the U.K. or Costa Rica.

With U.S. health care costs skyrocketing out of control, medical tourism has become a very attractive option for cost-conscious consumers seeking quality care at an affordable price. A recent report on medical tourism, for example, reports that an estimated 1.6 million Americans will travel abroad annually for medical care by 2012.

The potential savings are as much as 80 percent. Consider... a heart bypass that costs $130,000 in the USA, costs a relatively cheap $24,000 in Costa Rica. A hystorectomy that costs $20,000 is a comparatively trifling $4,000. And women seeking breast augmentation will pay at least $6,000 for a pair of new U.S. boobs, while Costa Rican plastic surgeons charge only $2,000.

No wonder, then, that the last decade has seen a boom in health tourism in Costa Rica, especially in the area of plastic surgery.

Thousands are drawn every year to Costa Rica’s modern hospitals and private clinics. Its doctors, many of whom are U.S.-trained, are considered among the best in the world. Standards of training and care are similar to North America. And most doctors are fluent in English. In fact, the World Health Organization ranks Costa Rica as having the 36th best health care system in the world. The U.S. is ranked 37th!

The bonus of medical tourism is that you not only save money, but also can make a vacation out of the experience. Costa Rican Medical Care, a medical tourism company specializing in Costa Rica medical providers, can even help patients finance their medical care.

For further information about travel in Costa Rica, buy Moon Costa Rica

Copyright © Christopher P. Baker