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Depending on your insurance provider, you might be fully covered if you decide to receive medical treatment abroad.  Blue Cross, Blue Shield, for example, has recently added India-based Wockhardt Hospitals to its global network of participating hospitals.  And in the UK, the government actually encourages some patients to travel to India, Thailand, or Singapore to receive medical treatment due to shorter wait times and lower costs. Thus, you should check with your insurance provider to see exactly what it will and won't cover.  You might be surprised.

Some Procedures Aren't Covered by Insurance

A large percentage of medical tourists go abroad in order to receive cosmetic or plastic surgery.  Often times, elective procedures like these are not covered by insurance, so you'll want to make sure that you fully understand whatever fees or charges apply.   In truth, medical tourism owes its rapid rise to cosmetic surgery.  It was because cosmetic surgery wasn't normally covered that so many people decided to receive treatment abroad in the first place.  The thinking being, "if one must pay out-of-pocket, why not find the best price possible, just so long as the quality is comparable or better."

What if You Lack Insurance Entirely

If you currently lack medical insurance, you might actually be surprised at the various options available.  Certain insurance companies provide temporary global coverage, while other firms offer long-term expatriate health insurance.  In many instances, you can actually get away with having no insurance at all.  In one example, a self-employed carpenter from the United States flew to India to receive complicated heart surgery that ended up costing him $6,700.  Back home, this same procedure would have cost him almost $200,000.

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