Running Head: A Not-Often Considered Reason to Travel

A Not-often Considered Reason to Travel

Justin Summerville
Eng101 (35858)

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Running Head: A Not-Often Considered Reason to Travel

Many people in third-world countries do not have regular access to food and fresh water let alone

medical attention. With as advanced as medical care is in the United States, some cannot afford the

astronomical costs for medical and dental treatment for one reason or another. For those reasons, and

others, medical tourism has become increasingly popular around the globe. Medical care should be shared

unselfishly from one nation to another and obtained without fear of the price tag attached for the purpose

of bettering a life.

Malaria, Measles, HIV/AIDS, Pneumonia, Rotavirus and malnutrition make up the majority of

causes of death for adults and children in third world countries (Why Are Children Dying?, Unicef).

Preventative vaccines for several of these ailments, as well as treatment for others, are available in the

U.S., but are rarely sent to save lives. The living conditions faced by families can be so deplorable that

some mothers do not give their newborn children names until they have overcome a contracted illness

(Why Are Children Dying?, Unicef). Not only are illnesses threatening a way of life for many people, but

so are things like cleft-palate and cleft lip, tumors and clubbed feet. There is not much support available

in the rugged mountains of Haiti or Sahara Desert in Africa. If missionary teams do not travel to these

places to provide much needed support or bring the ill back to the United States with them, the chances of

their survival drastically decrease.

Living in a me-first society, a common opinion is that medical treatment should be delegated to

those in America first, before sending resources elsewhere. Unfortunately, the statement that many

Americans go without medical treatment is true, however, much of the forgone treatments are made

available in several ways. When Google searched, Maricopa County free child immunizations, a full

page of results loaded. Medical offices, non-profit groups, school districts among other places offer free

vaccinations for children in Maricopa County. Organizations like Planned Parenthood provide free birth

control and prenatal care. Medicare and Medicaid, known as AHCCCS in Arizona, will accept most

anyone with a preexisting condition, such as Diabetes. Once accepted under the insurance plan, patients

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Running Head: A Not-Often Considered Reason to Travel

can use their benefits for a variety of services from dental cleanings to routine eye examinations. Moral of

the story is that medical treatment is available locally with enough left over to share.

The costs in U.S. dollars for medical treatments are dictated by Medicare and other medical

insurance companies. Reimbursement from the insurance companies to the providers is only a percentage

of the dictated cost. For patients with poor medical coverage, or without medical coverage at all, the

patient-portion for the procedure/treatment can be more than they are able to spend. With signs on the

front desk stating charges must be paid in full at the time of service, many patients forgo treatment

altogether. Because of this, those who can physically make the trip will travel out of the country to

receive the treatment they need. Medications are purchased in Mexico and Canada for a fraction of the

price they are listed for in the U.S. Dental treatment like fillings and crowns are done in Thailand and

Mexico for far less. Including travel expenses, the total for the trip and treatment tends to be lower than

the original quote from the local provider. Treatments sought after may not be necessity, rather elective.

Things like breast augmentation and liposuction are done considerably less expensive elsewhere.

Television and the media lead society to believe that going outside the U.S. borders for medical

treatment is not safe. Research should always be done before any medical event, let alone travelling for

medical treatment. A trained professional will have pertinent information regarding their training and

education, so if this information is unavailable, scratch that person off the list and move on to the next.

Again, research should be done beforehand.

Imagine a young father in Malawi with a large, benign (non-cancerous) tumor growing in an

extremely inconvenient place; under the arm, for example. Imagine this growth is so large that the strain

of it causes the spine to curve to that side in order to accommodate the extra weight. Work, sleep, family

life would be greatly affected. Now, imagine the opportunity to have that giant mass removed. The

obvious response to that would be to jump at the chance. Imagine a cleft palate on a small child in

Afghanistan. Food and water are already so scarce, and this cleft palate makes sustenance all the more

difficult to ingest. Imagine a school teacher in India with Leprosy, missing her toes and her left arm from

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the elbow. Medical tourism is the only chance these people have to improve their health and situation;

vaccinations, medications and surgeries.

Third world inhabitants do not have medical care and it should be provided to them unselfishly.

The cost of medical treatment in the United States is obnoxiously high, forcing citizens to travel abroad.

Imagine.

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Running Head: A Not-Often Considered Reason to Travel

Reference

U. (2005, March 02). Why Are Children Dying? Retrieved April 24, 2017, from
https://www.unicef.org/immunization/index_why.html
CDC. (2016, December 05). Medical Tourism. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from
https://www.cdc.gov/features/medicaltourism/
Medical Tourism - Health Tourism - Medical Travel Company | MedRetreat. (2017). Retrieved April 22,
2017, from http://www.medretreat.com/