Despite the waning demand in overseas travel and the downslide in demand for medical tourism packages in 2009, experts say that demand for medical tourism is expected to surge in 2010. According to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the economic recession will give way to a period of economic recovery in 2010, with an expected growth of about 35 percent for the medical tourism industry. The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions presented these findings at the World Medical Tourism and Global Health Congress in Los Angeles, California earlier this month.
According to Paul Keckley, Ph.D. and Executive Director of the organization, “Barring any tempering factors, such as supply constraints, resistance from health plans, increased domestic competition or government policies, we project that outbound medical tourism could reach upwards of 1.6 million patients by 2012.”
More than 750,000 Americans traveled abroad in 2007 for outbound medical care, and this included treatments that improve health, but also cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures. The recession has encouraged many avid travelers to put off their plans for elective procedures, and many have postponed their plans to travel overseas, even when they have an opportunity to get discounted services at a medical facility abroad.
However, analysts expect this to change as more insurance companies begin to offer coverage for care abroad, and more attractive packages from medical tourism companies in South America, India, Thailand and other exotic destinations.
According to Deloitte’s 2009 Medical Tourism Report, the Joint Commission International (JCI) has increased the number of approved foreign medical sites from 76 in 2005 to more than 220 in 2008, which will make it easier for travelers to select a legitimate destination that can meet their healthcare needs. The American Medical Association (AMA) has also developed a set of nine guidelines for medical tourism for employers and insurance companies who are creating medical care packages outside of the United States. (Source: TravelIndustryWire.com)
