Hundreds of thousands of Americans are crossing the border into Mexico each year to receive a wide range of treatments, including medical services, dental care and cosmetic surgery, experts in what has become known as "medical tourism" say. According to Josef Woodman, the CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, an organization advocating for medical travel, as many as 800,000 to 1 million American citizens make the trip from the U.S. to Mexico for affordable treatment each year. That number, Woodman said, is a "conservative estimate" and excludes non-citizens and undocumented immigrants, of which he claims there are thousands who also make the trip to Mexico each year for treatment. The true number of Americans who travel south for treatment is difficult to estimate, he said, as medical travel is typically a private affair. Woodman said he himself chooses to receive care south of the border to save costs, with the CEO recently traveling to Cancun to get dental care that he had "long since neglected." A treatment plan he estimated would cost $15,900 in the U.S. ended up costing Woodman $4,010 in Mexico. "So, I saved about $10,000," he said. "And that is not unusual. You can save save a lot of money." According to Patients Without Borders' estimates, The savings can be as high as 40 to 70 percent. "Typically it's closer to 70 percent," Woodman explained. "Especially when you're going for complex treatment." "That's why so many Americans go down there, even after the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare," he said. "Insurance companies have just figured out all these workarounds where, yes you're insured, but you're actually under-insured and you don't realize it until something bad happens." According to Woodman, roughly 75 percent of those traveling to Mexico for treatment are making the journey across the border for dental or cosmetic care, with around 60 percent receiving dental care, while another 15 percent travel for cosmetic surgery. The remainder, he says, mainly travel for orthopedics, bariatrics (weight loss procedures), optometry, IVF and other services. Addressing potential safty concerns, Woodman said that while there are potential risks with receiving treatment outisde of the U.S., Mexico is increasingly gaining international recognition for improving its medical facilities, many of which are "world class". In 2006, Mexico had no Joint Commission International-accredited facilities, his organization states on its website. By 2018, the country had amassed eight such facilities, according to the organization, referring to the JCI's "gold standard" approval system for global healthcare. "Many hospitals in Mexico enjoy affiliation with major educational institutions," Patients Beyond Borders states on its website. "Hospital San Jose Tec de Monterrey, for example, is sponsored by the internationally recognized Tecnológico de Monterrey, a premiere educational institution that boasts more than 18,000 full-time students and operates 32 campuses across
Thousands of Americans cross border into Mexico for affordable medical treatment each year
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are crossing the border into Mexico each year to receive a wide range of treatments, including medical services, dental care and cosmetic surgery, experts in what has become known as "medical tourism" say. According to Josef Woodman, the CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, an organization advocating for medical travel, as many as 800,000 to 1 million American citizens make the trip from the U.S. to Mexico for affordable treatment each year. That number, Woodman said, is a "conservative estimate" and excludes non-citizens and undocumented immigrants, of which he claims there are thousands who also make the trip to Mexico each year for treatment. The true number of Americans who travel south for treatment is difficult to estimate, he said, as medical travel is typically a private affair. Woodman said he himself chooses to receive care south of the border to save costs, with the CEO recently traveling to Cancun to get dental care that he had "long since neglected." A treatment plan he estimated would cost $15,900 in the U.S. ended up costing Woodman $4,010 in Mexico. "So, I saved about $10,000," he said. "And that is not unusual. You can save save a lot of money." According to Patients Without Borders' estimates, The savings can be as high as 40 to 70 percent. "Typically it's closer to 70 percent," Woodman explained. "Especially when you're going for complex treatment." "That's why so many Americans go down there, even after the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare," he said. "Insurance companies have just figured out all these workarounds where, yes you're insured, but you're actually under-insured and you don't realize it until something bad happens." According to Woodman, roughly 75 percent of those traveling to Mexico for treatment are making the journey across the border for dental or cosmetic care, with around 60 percent receiving dental care, while another 15 percent travel for cosmetic surgery. The remainder, he says, mainly travel for orthopedics, bariatrics (weight loss procedures), optometry, IVF and other services. Addressing potential safty concerns, Woodman said that while there are potential risks with receiving treatment outisde of the U.S., Mexico is increasingly gaining international recognition for improving its medical facilities, many of which are "world class". In 2006, Mexico had no Joint Commission International-accredited facilities, his organization states on its website. By 2018, the country had amassed eight such facilities, according to the organization, referring to the JCI's "gold standard" approval system for global healthcare. "Many hospitals in Mexico enjoy affiliation with major educational institutions," Patients Beyond Borders states on its website. "Hospital San Jose Tec de Monterrey, for example, is sponsored by the internationally recognized Tecnológico de Monterrey, a premiere educational institution that boasts more than 18,000 full-time students and operates 32 campuses across
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