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Medical tourism has grown to significant scale in just a few years,
and is projected to continue growing sharply in a short period of
time. This FAQ page answers many common questions American and
European potential tourists who are interested in medical tourism
would have.
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Q.
What exactly is “Medical Tourism”? |
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Medical Tourism is a fast growing worldwide phenomena where uninsured
or underinsured individuals are able to travel to a foreign country
for medical, dental, or cosmetic treatment and quality post-care.
Internationally accredited and recognized hospitals offer
medical treatment at a fraction of the cost for the same treatment
inside the United States. This presents tremendous savings to the
patient without sacrificing quality of care. During post-care,
patients may choose to relax and recuperate in idyllic surroundings,
with beautiful beaches, and go on guided tours of the local tourist
attractions in the host country.
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Q.
What Role does New Medical Horizons, Inc play in the medical
tourism process? |
Since traveling to
another country for medical treatment may be a new experience for many
individuals, we facilitate and customize the entire trip abroad from
start to finish.
Our company is your first point of contact in the process. We function
as the liaison between individuals seeking treatment and the medical
institutions offering treatment.
We connect you to the medical institution in the destination country,
establish pre-treatment consultations with the medical team in the
designated hospital abroad, arrange your flight, hotel and tour guides
in the destination country, who will then attend to your needs.
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Q.
How Do I start the process? |
We encourage you
to gather as much information as possible, in order to be able to make
an informed decision – About us, about your choice of destination for
the medical treatment, about the treatment itself, and about the
overall costs involved.. If you have any questions or need more
information, we will be happy to provide whatever information you
need, in addition to clearing any doubts you may have. Please visit
the contact us section, to find out the best way you can get in touch
with us.
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Cost of Care |
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Q.
How much do I save by getting this treatment abroad? |
There are various
procedures in medical, dental, and cosmetic surgery and costs depend
on a wide array of factors including destination country of choice,
length of treatment, post operative care, and travel expenses.
Prices may vary according to your preferences for afore-mentioned
factors. However, the total cost of the entire package will still,
generally speaking, be at about 50-80% less than what equivalent
treatment would cost in the U.S.
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Q.
Why are medical, dental, and cosmetic treatment and surgery so
inexpensive in other countries? |
The standard of
living is significantly lower in these countries and the difference
between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies gives you better value
for their money in most countries offering medical tourism. The costs
for malpractice insurance and other costs faced by medical facility
operators in the U.S. are much higher than in other countries. These
costs are in turn passed to you, the patient, when you go in for
medical treatment in the United States.
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Q.
If there is such a vast difference in savings, why don’t more
people travel abroad for treatment? |
The concept of
Medical Tourism has been around for decades but until recently, it
hasn’t been under the global spotlight. In 2005 alone, over 500,000
Americans traveled abroad for medical tourism. With the increasing
strain on the American healthcare system, more and more people are
looking for new and innovative ideas to cut their healthcare spending.
As medical tourism, and its benefits, obtain more publicity, it can be
expected that it will be recognized as a commonly availed medical
option in the near future.
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Q.
Would my health insurance cover treatments abroad? |
Although many U.S.
Insurance companies are accepting claims from overseas medical
institutions, it would be advisable to check with your insurance
company. We will aid you by :-
a) Following any guidelines your insurance company provides, and
b) providing any and all documentation required for re-imbursements by
your insurance company.
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Q.
How would I finance this treatment if my Insurance does not
cover the cost? |
While we can and
do assist you with obtaining financial aid, it has to be done on a
case by case basis, depending on the circumstances involved and it
would be best to contact us directly, so we can evaluate your
situation.
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Q.
If my health insurance plan does cover the treatment I need,
would Medical Tourism be a more attractive option? |
While your
insurance company may cover the cost of your required treatment, in
many cases, they require the patient to pay a substantial amount of
the total cost, up-front. In these situations, the total cost of
travel and treatment abroad may be equal or less to your out of pocket
cost with the insurance company.
In addition, sometimes there’s a waiting list in the U.S. for patients
who, on the contrary, need immediate treatment. Many patients choose
not to wait or can’t wait for available slots and decide to travel
abroad for immediate treatment. Pease go through the step-by-step
section on our website.
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Quality |
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Q.
Do I have to sacrifice quality of care for these savings? |
Our primary focus
is the safety and quality care of our clients undergoing any
operation. We are, therefore, affiliated only with medical
institutions who are JCCO accredited. These hospitals have the latest
medical equipment and vastly talented and experienced medical teams,
who adhere to the International Standards and regulations for patient
care. Please see the Testimonials Section to gain a better
understanding of what our clients have experienced on their medical
tours.
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Q.
How well-trained are the doctors? |
These are doctors
who work in Internationally accredited institutions, all prominently
well known and respected in their fields. They are all board certified
and most of them were practicing in the United States at some point,
and are still visiting physicians at major healthcare centers here.
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Q.
Is there a higher level of risks in treatment abroad? |
There is an
inherent risk in every medical procedure. Our focus is to minimize the
risks involved by working only with accredited hospitals and certified
medical professionals who deliver the highest quality of care.
For example, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center in Delhi,
India performs nearly 15,000 heart operations each year, and
surprisingly the death rate among patients during surgery is only 0.8
percent. This is less than half the equivalent rate in most major
hospitals in the United States.
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Traveling Abroad |
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Q.
Can companions travel with me or do I travel alone? |
You may choose to
have any many people travel with you as you desire. Most hospitals in
our program will even arrange accommodations for your guests within
the facility.
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