The changing fortunes of Medical Tourism
Much has been written about the ebb and flow of opportunities around Medical Tourism as an attractive option for Americans seeking cheaper health care outside their own borders. From predictions of stellar growth by Deloitte in its 2008 report on the Medical Tourism market in the US, to significant downward revisions of forecasts due to the economic environment; authored by Deloitte in the 2009 installment.
Opinion generally around the fortunes of Medical Tourism are polarized, ranging from examples like; USA Today picking medical tourism in the USA to be one of the top 10 trends during 2010, to an article by Keith Pollard “Treatment Abroad” that points to medical tourism remaining in the margins for the foreseeable future. http://www.imtjonline.com/articles/2010/the-outlook-for-medical-tourism-30034/
Apart from feeling the need to reach for a bottle of Prozac and a stiff Gin after reading parts of Keith Pollard’s article, the issue I have with his opinion, is that it implies that Medical Tourism was originally prophesied as a Holy Grail, mainstream, overnight solution to the current issues facing the US health care landscape. In reality, Medical Tourism is a channel option within the business mix and will always be so. As such, being in the margins is probably a sound footing from which to continue to build on a beachhead industry, moving it towards a longer term goal of wider understanding and acceptance within the US health care landscape. As trite as it may sound, Rome wasn’t built in a day, or for that matter, a year.
Of greater interest, and proving that a week can be a long time in politics, was the election of Republican candidate Scott Brown to the US Senate. In doing so ending the 47 year stronghold by the Democrats in Massachusetts by the late Senator Kennedy, and preventing the Democrats from passing major reforms through the Senate unimpeded. A key reform Health care now appears stalled as the Republicans, with new found power, push back in response to, what appears to be, resounding public opinion. Watch this space, as it now appears that the already watered down health care reforms will be further watered down and in the process perhaps further opening the way for opportunities in Medical Tourism… watch this space.
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Source: The Medical Traveller
>>>Apart from feeling the need to reach for a bottle of Prozac and a stiff Gin after reading parts of Keith Pollard’s article
Sorry about that!
>>>the issue I have with his opinion, is that it implies that Medical Tourism was originally prophesied as a Holy Grail, mainstream, overnight solution to the current issues facing the US health care landscape
I’m afraid that has been the case. medical tourism has been massively overhyped in the US with various industry protagonists inventing crazy numbers and seeing it as the solution to the 50 million uninsured. The rreality is very different. As you and I agree, it’s a solution at the margins, but is still a valuable niche.