The U.S. health care reform could enhance the health tourism industry in host countries.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
A report by the Foreign Trade Corporation of Costa Rica (Procomer) outlines the rise of the medical tourism industry of Mexico, specifically in the city of Mexicali, Baja California.
In connection with the vigor of health tourism in Costa Rica, the report by Procomer highlights the following:
"As for the sector's perspective, we must consider the effect of the reform proposed by President Obama and approved by the Supreme Court. Such reform could boost medical tourism as an alternative for employers and insurers in order to avoid the high cost of medical services and the supply constraints present in the U.S. health system (eg, dental treatment). "
Under the agreement with the insurance company Stop Loss Brokerage Guatemalan medical services will be promoted and a trade mission will travel to Florida.
From a statement from the Guatemalan Exporters Association:
"In 2013, the Tourism Commission of Health and Welfare signed an agreement with Stop Loss Brokerage, a medical insurance company from the United States, a promotion plan created exclusively for Guatemala, called: Latin American preferred Health Plan (LAPHP) which seeks the promotion of medical procedures such as cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, among others, in the US.
Mexico, Spain and Poland are looking to position themselves as medical tourism destinations competing with the traditional ones such as India, Thailand, Brazil and Turkey.
From an article by the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Besides traditional competitors such as India, Thailand, Brazil and Turkey, new international players such as Mexico, Spain and Poland are now seeking to position themselves as medical tourism destinations. On the one hand is Poland, which through a government program is trying to promote itself as a good country in which to find health treatment, rehabilitation, diagnosis and aesthetics services and, through its participation in three consecutive fairs (Miami 2012, Moscow and Monaco in March 2013), has managed to be taken into account by the experts as a new player in this market.
While Costa Rica continues to see an increase in the number of visitors in search of medical services in El Salvador the sector's potential is not being exploited.
An article in Elsalvador.com examines the size of the U.S. market in relation to the supply of medical services, noting the 47 million people who don’t have health insurance, for whom El Salvador may be the place to get assistance.
In the last two years medical tourism has increased by 100% according to data from the country's tourism institute.
Relative to the total number of visitors to the country the number of medical tourists is not significant, but the head of the institute (Intur in Spanish), Mario Salinas, says that the change demonstrates that the sector has the potential to keep growing.
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