Medical Tourism: The New Narrative
June 30th, 2008 by -- the moderator
The story of modern medical tourism in the United States, as told by the media, has changed over time and now comes in a package of inevitability. It hit home for me last week, when the American Medical Association acknowledged medical travel and tourism and set some broad guidelines (reported here) and, again today, with a significant story by MSNBC Health Writer JoNel Aleccia that advances the storyline for consumers very nearly to a frontier that, until recently, was the province of industry insiders.
The paragraph that jumped off the screen at me was this:
Once the province of the poor and uninsured, medical tourism is gaining attention of industry giants such as CIGNA, Aetna and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, who say they either have begun or are considering pilot programs that provide limited coverage for foreign care. One Montana firm, Employee Benefit Management Services Inc., recently began offering medial tourism plans to its 120 self-insured clients in the Northwest.
Category: Medical Travel and Employers, Medical Travel in the News, Perspectives on Medical Travel | No Comments »
Sulger, a pioneer in the medical travel and tourism industry, is frequently called upon to assess health and safety factors at medical destinations and is often quoted in media such as The New York Times and Good Housekeeping magazine, as well as appearing on ABC television speaking about issues facing the medical travel industry. In her career, she has assisted more than 3,000 clients in obtaining care in overseas facilities, including for orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery, cosmetic surgery, GYN, urology and stem cell therapy.
