A Brief Look at Mexico’s Medical Tourism

With its wonderful beaches and rich culture, Mexico is fast-becoming a major tourist destination for many people. Indeed, about 150,000 Americans flock to this North American country each year, and tourism is already the fifth-biggest source of national revenue (and will be the third-biggest by 2018). However, Mexico is also known for its thriving medical tourism industry.

This term refers to a trend wherein people travel abroad for more affordable health care. For example, most Americans know that a trip to the hospital is often more expensive than an actual trip to Mexico, thus prompting them to seek medical attention there instead. People also get treatment abroad when certain medical services are not available in their country or if their health insurance does not cover the costs of a procedure at home.

Many of them get liposuction in Mexico (as well as other cosmetic surgeries) in cities like Tijuana. While many want to get this procedure to get rid of troublesome fat, most insurance companies consider it to be cosmetic and will not offer coverage for it as a result. Journey a couple of hours south, however, and you can save thousands of dollars on liposuction while still getting the same high level of care offered stateside.