Australia may have Medicare, but that doesn’t mean getting healthcare in this country is cheap.
I experienced this first hand this week when a scan I paid $500 out of pocket for last year is now $735.
Not surprisingly, as a result, medical tourism is on the rise and rise. BetterHealth estimates about 15,000 Australians travel overseas for medical treatment each year, including $300 million a year on cosmetic surgery tourism alone.
Despite the warnings of the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons against the trend, new research shows more than half of Australians would be willing to risk medical tourism to keep their costs down.
The findings come from a survey of an independent, nationally representative panel of 1006 Australians, commissioned by award-winning travel Australian insurance provider Insure&Go to gauge what’s motivating Australians to seek treatment overseas, and which treatments they are likely to travel for.
Dental a popular choice
The survey revealed that a significant 65 per cent of respondents would seek dental procedures abroad, including dental implants, veneers and smile makeovers. These procedures were most popular among respondents aged 24 to 44 (26 per cent of this cohort).
Forty-two per cent of respondents would seek life-saving or life-extending cancer treatments that are not available in Australia. Respondents over age 55 are least likely to seek treatment overseas for this reason. Just 8 per cent of respondents aged 55-64 and 9 per cent of respondents aged over 65 chose this option, compared with 25 per cent who are 35 to 44-year-olds.
Cosmetic treatments and plastic surgeries are the third most common procedures respondents would go overseas for with 33 per cent saying they would travel for breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, facelift, or similar cosmetic treatments. Perhaps not surprisingly, the age group most likely to travel for cosmetic treatments are Aussies aged 25-34, making up 31 per cent of respondents who chose this option. By comparison, older generations are least likely to seek cosmetic procedures with just 13 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds, 9 per cent of 55 to 64-year-olds and 3 per cent of over-65s prepared to risk international treatment for these procedures.
Consider your choices carefully
Insure&Go spokesperson David Mayo warned Australians to consider carefully why they are going overseas for treatment and what the trip may inevitably cost them.
“In most cases, travel insurance covers unknown incidents – not the risks you know about, such as planned medical procedures,” he said.
“If something goes wrong during or after your procedure, it could end up costing you much more than you would have paid to have the treatment at home.
“Every country has different standards of medical care and practitioner qualifications, and it can be difficult to assess this. There are many resources available to help you make a more informed decision.
“Understand the risks, research the exclusions in your travel insurance, and compare the cost of having that procedure overseas to the cost, financially and mentally, if something does go wrong.”
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners warns that if something goes wrong during or after the procedure, you may not be covered by insurance and you may face significant costs if you need emergency medical transfer back to Australia.
If you are considering going overseas for medical treatment, Smartraveller advises people to thoroughly research their options including the doctor, hospital and procedure. They also recommend consulting with your doctor before you go and have all your travel vaccinations up to date.
Check your insurance
If you have private health insurance, it’s worth checking your policy as some do offer overseas treatment options including covering your travel expenses, doctors they approve and appropriate travel insurance.
The most popular destinations for medical tourism for Australians are Thailand, India, South Korea, Turkey and Malaysia.
Would you consider travelling overseas for medical care? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: The drill on visiting dentists in Bali
