March 28, 2024

Medical Tourism is Thriving

Greetings from the O.R.: Florida's medical facilities are cultivating a thriving business among foreigners seeking healthcare. About 400,000 patients visited the U.S. in 2008.

Amy Keller | 3/1/2009
Administrators say an increasing number of patients from overseas have health insurance coverage. Some of the more frequently seen foreign providers include Bupa UK, Grupo Nacional Provincial SAB (GNP), the Canadian Medical Network, Generali Worldwide, Amedex Insurance Group and British Caymanian Insurance. In Alex’s case, an insurance “settlement” and more than $75,000 in donations from the public helped defray the costs of his $150,000 proton treatment at Shands.

Not everyone who comes to Florida for medical treatment is a foreign citizen. Ever since a bout with colon cancer, Brenda Yager, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area, comes to Mayo in Jacksonville for all her medical needs. The doctors, she says, “actually talk to each other. They’ve looked at the notes. Everyone’s notes follow you.”

Regardless where they’re from, patients and their families who come to Florida spend money on more than healthcare. In addition to paying for her airfare, a hotel stay and a car rental, Yager likes to try out new restaurants when she’s in Jacksonville to see her doctors. Sometimes she’ll drive to Ponte Vedra or St. Augustine for a bit of sightseeing. Rosalie Barnes made a point of taking Alex to the beach, the park or the zoo after his treatments each day. They also made a special trip to the Magic Kingdom.

“He has come away from this thinking he was on a vacation,” says Barnes.

Providers expect revenues from medical tourism to hold up if only because people are willing to pay to get well. Despite the cost and distance, Barnes said she didn’t think twice about crossing the ocean to get care for Alex, who shows no physical signs of his proton therapy treatments save for a small bald patch on the back of his head.

“I felt I didn’t have much choice,” says Barnes. “My little boy’s worth it.”


The Next Level

Barney Bishop, president and CEO of the lobbying group Associated Industries of Florida, says healthcare facilities in the state are doing a good job of attracting wealthy foreigners for medical care. Now, he’d like to see them begin competing for more middle-class customers. AIF is asking state lawmakers to allocate funds to create a domestic and international marketing program to better promote Florida’s medical facilities.

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Tags: Dining & Travel, Healthcare

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