Medical Tourism Risks: Why Travel Insurance Matters

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism is the practice of travelling abroad to get medical services. With global healthcare improving, several countries offer excellent healthcare facilities that may not be available in their home country. There are several reasons contributing to increasing medical tourism:

• Cost: A country may be offering a surgical procedure at lesser costs
• Procedure Availability: Certain technologies may only be available in some countries, often limited to a hospital or university centre
• Doctor's Recommendations: Your consulting physician may deem it necessary for you to travel abroad for a certain surgery
• Vacation: Some people may choose to travel to a country while getting a routine surgery or non-life threatening surgery abroad. For example, South Korea has become extremely popular for its cosmetic surgery advancements while being a popular cultural hub.

Whatever the reasons, medical tourism has become more accessible thanks to increased cross-border communication, affordable medical care, cheaper flights, and transparency facilitated by reviews and recommendations on the internet.

Will Travel Insurance Cover Medical Treatment Abroad?

Travel medical insurance is designed specially to provide financial support in case of unexpected medical emergencies abroad. However, since medical tourism means going abroad purely to get a certain healthcare benefit, your travel insurance will not cover any planned surgeries or medical expenses.

Since going to another country for a certain (and often expensive) treatment is a confirmed risk, insurers can't provide coverage for this. Travel insurance only covers you for unexpected and unforeseen risks, such as emergency hospitalisation caused by sickness or injury.

However, there are some exceptions to this. Many insurers offer coverage for pre-existing diseases or PEDs under life-threatening conditions. These diseases should be declared before purchasing travel insurance policy. However, any medical procedure that was not performed to cure a life-threatening condition will need to be paid by you. Your insurance won't offer any reimbursement or cashless hospitalisation benefit in such cases.

How can Travel Insurance Help During Medical Tourism?

Even though health-related emergencies can't be covered by international travel insurance, you can still benefit considerably by securing your trip with travel insurance:

• Flight-Related Benefits: In case of flight delays, flight cancellations or missed connections, your insurer will cover you for the same.
• Baggage Loss/Theft: In case your personal baggage is stolen, your trip insurance policy will cover it. If your baggage is lost or delayed by your airline during transit, your insurer will compensate you for the inconvenience.
• Passport Loss: Your insurer will assist you in getting an emergency travel certificate if it is lost or stolen abroad. They will also cover the costs of getting a fresh one in India upon your return.
• Personal Liability: Suppose you accidentally damage a person's property or end up causing them an injury, in that case, that person could hold you liable. Your travel insurance plan will help you in such cases, if you accidentally become liable to a third party during your stay abroad.
• Trip Cancellation: Even if you are travelling abroad for medical reasons, suppose you or your family member gets hospitalised, what about your trip? You may be forced to cancel your travel plans. With comprehensive travel insurance, you can get reimbursed for non-refundable expenses like flight tickets and hotel bookings.
• Medical Evacuation & Repatriation: In severe circumstances involving evacuation or repatriation of mortal remains to India, travel insurance will bear the expenses.

These are only a few benefits of having an overseas travel insurance plan from India. You can get plans as per your requirements and the country you are travelling to.

What is the Safest Country for Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism has been on the rise throughout the world. Several countries including India offer brilliant medical care at much lower costs when compared to several American and European nations. Following are some of the best countries for medical tourism thanks to the burgeoning medical tourism market:

• Brazil: Even though South Korea has become synonymous with plastic surgery, Brazil has always been the global capital for plastic surgery. It is also known for its world-class dental and cardiovascular treatments.
• Malaysia: Its great infrastructure and low costs make it the best medical tourism destination in Asia. It is best known for burn-related treatments, heart surgeries and affordable IVF.
• Mexico: Because of its proximity to the US, Mexican medical facilities boast great services and medical expertise. It has extensive crossover with the US when it comes to medical training, so the treatment, facilities and expertise is similar to that of the US but without its exorbitant costs.
• Costa Rica: It's among the most developed Central American countries known for its safety and medical facilities. It is best known for its dental tourism, orthopaedic surgeries, neuro surgeries and wellness retreats.
• Turkey: Turkey not only makes an excellent destination for tourists, but it is also home to a rapidly growing medical tourism sector. It offers excellent rehabilation and recovery facilities, along with its remarkable eye health specialists, dentistry, cosmetic surgery and more.

In a Nutshell

If you have been considering getting medical treatment abroad, you can easily find countries offering them at competitive prices. You can easily get reliable information from official sources, including the International Healthcare Research Centre which has developed the Medical Tourism Index (MTI). Wherever you decide to get your treatment, ensure that your journey is protected by travel insurance. It will definitely help in reducing additional emergency expenses in case you find yourself in one.