[DenverBrit]

Originally Posted by pricejj

Then why are Europeans coming to the U.S. to get treatment?

Medical tourism is a fast growing industry. The US is a destination for a number of specialties, and a lot of places are destinations for US citizens who can't afford the care in the US.

Once only something done by the incredibly wealthy, medical tourism is "really turning into something people understand," said Josef Woodman, CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, which produces guidebooks on medical travel. The organization estimates that in 2012, 600,000 people will travel abroad for treatment -- a number anticipated to grow 15 to 20 percent annually as boomers age.

A survey conducted by Patients Beyond Borders shows the jaw-dropping differences in cost. In 2011, you could pay $88,000 for a coronary artery bypass graft in the U.S., or $9,500 in India (which saw the highest average savings, at 65 to 90 percent). For a hip replacement in Mexico, it’s $12,500 instead of $33,000 on average in the States.

The JCI-accredited hospital at which Schuler was treated –- Fortis Hospitals in Bangalore, India, formerly known as Wockhardt Hospitals and is associated with Harvard Medical International -– exceeded his expectations.

"They picked me up at the airport at 4 a.m. their time and took me to the hospital" for X-rays, Schuler said. "My room was incredible, the care was phenomenal. I was there in the hospital for seven days and I was in what I consider to be a four- to five-star health facility."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1551217.html