Why are so many US citizens travelling to Mexico for medical care? What are the dangers involved? (2024)

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The death of two Americans kidnapped while on a trip to Mexico for cosmetic surgery is shining the spotlight on why so many travel to the neighbouring country for surgery and the dangers involved.

Experts say Americans are crossing the border to seek care for everything from dental work to cosmetic surgery and even cancer treatment.

Let’s take a closer look:

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, millions of US residents travel abroad for care annually.

As per NPR, around 780,000 people left the US for healthcare-related needs in 2022.

The popularity of what is called ‘medical tourism’ has been growing for years.

Patents Without Borders says 1.2 million Americans travel to Mexico for healthcare annually.

The industry in Mexico has grown steadily in the past two decades, with a lull during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was valued at a little over $5 billion in 2018, according to the state-owned National Exterior Commerce Bank.

Researcher Arturo Bustamante estimates that roughly 400,000 people traveled from the US to Mexico each year for care before COVID-19 hit.

The University of California, Los Angeles health policy professor said the number dropped under pandemic stay-at-home orders but then quickly rebounded.

Why are people going to Mexico?

The trip is usually made by those lacking health insurance or with those that have plans that cost thousands of dollars before offering coverage.

Dental treatment is one of the most commonly sought procedures, according to the CDC, along with “surgery, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.”

“It’s economics,” Néstor Rodriguez, an immigration studies expert and professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin told BBC. “Medicines and services are cheaper in Mexico, especially dental procedures. You can get your teeth cleaned or an implant for a fraction of the cost of what you get in the US.”

Big employers also sometimes send people covered by their insurance to other countries for hip or knee replacements or bariatric surgery. Some also send people to Mexico for expensive prescription drugs.

Also because it’s far less expensive than America.

Like Mexican-born US citizen Taide Ramirez.

The 58-year-old told BBC she has been going to Mexico for more than a decade to treat her hypothyroidism.

Though she does have health coverage from her employers, Mexico still works out cheaper.

Getting “unavailable or unapproved” procedures is a top reason for going abroad, according to the CDC, which also highlights lower costs – averaging at 40-60 percent cheaper for Americans in Mexico.

Cosmetic surgeries like tummy tucks, which can cost thousands of dollars, are largely uncovered by US health insurers.

Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the non-profit Medical Tourism Association, an industry trade group, said care in countries like Mexico can be more than 50 per cent cheaper than it is in the United States.

A 2020 study that surveyed more than 400 people crossing the US–Mexico border found 92 per cent cited cost as a key factor in choosing medical tourism.

“In the US, we have the most expensive healthcare system on the planet,” said Elizabeth Ziemba, president of training and consulting group Medical Tourism Training.

“The possibility of having to spend a great deal of money to access health care in the US is prohibitive for some people so they look at other cost-effective alternatives.”

Meanwhile, Mexico has improved its standards of healthcare as well.

As David Vequist, who runs the Center of Medical Tourism Research at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, told NPR, “About 10 years ago, the Mexican federal government licensed the Joint Commission accreditation standards, which are used to accredit U.S. hospitals."

“So most Mexican hospitals are now basically using the same standards we use in hospitals in the United States,” Vequist added.

NPR quoted a 2020 research paper as saying that Americans “felt that Mexican health care services are of the same or better quality compared with those in the United States, for a lower cost.”

Of the 427 surveyed, over 400 stated that they would continue to avail of medical tourism.

There are also cultural reasons.

Most of the people visiting Mexico for care are Mexican or Latino immigrants living in the United States, Bustamante said.

Patients also sometimes travel because they can get quicker access to some care outside the US They also may want to seek treatment from a doctor who speaks their language or comes from the same culture.

Kidnapping shines spotlight on danger

Tamaulipas state, where the four Americans crossed into the crime-plagued city of Matamoros, is one of the Mexican states most affected by crime.

The US State Department advises citizens to avoid the region entirely, citing kidnapping as one danger.

But it is not a state particularly popular for medical tourism, said Woodman, as it lacks the medical infrastructure other areas have cultivated.

Rodrigues told BBC that while the kidnapping of four Americans and the murder of two is ‘out of the norm’, it did remind him that the border is not safe.

“I stopped going,” Rodrigues added.

Ramirez told BBC that while she’s never had a problem, safety remains a concern.

“I never go alone. I always take my sister with me or my son,” she told BBC.

According to the outlet, medical tourism travellers also employ safeguards such as registering their vehicles in Mexico and not wandering around on foot.

But not everyone has been discouraged by the grisly news.

Woodman said his organization’s inbox has been “deluged over the past 36 hours” by requests from individuals interested in travelling for procedures.

Just a few days ago, Colorado retiree Amber O’Hara recommended to a friend the dental clinic in Mexico where she has traveled multiple times for treatment.

“The cost is why I go,” O’Hara said, noting, however, that the care was also top notch.

“I felt very comfortable and confident in all aspects of treatment and will definitely go again when needed,” she said.

Her dentist is in the town of Los Algodones, nicknamed “Molar City” for its wide array of dental offices catering to foreigners.

It is snug against the Arizona border, on the other side of the country from Matamoros, which O’Hara said she would avoid, as “there have been more than one bad situation there.”

Research thoroughly, advise experts

Experts say the risks associated with medical tourism are more often linked to substandard care if one is not careful in selecting a provider than “political or social violence.”

Josef Woodman, CEO of international health care consulting company Patients Beyond Borders, told AFP. “That is so rare in our community.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also warns of potentially poor quality of care as a medical tourism risk, along with infection and difficulty communicating with staff.

Patients can take steps to lessen risks of receiving care in another country.

Ziemba said when looking abroad it’s crucial to research thoroughly the healthcare provider, as well as the destination, as substandard care often comes with an enticing price tag.

“I encourage people to really do their homework.”

There are the complexities of traveling if you have a medically complex situation. There are fit-to-fly rules. And your health care providers should take into consideration the impact of traveling if you have orthopedic injuries or issues,” Ziemba told CNN.

“The quality of care may be an unknown,” she added. “It may be that the quality of care is not up to the standards that you would like. So there’s a bit of an unknown there, and then the last thing I would say is, if something goes wrong, what’s going to happen?”

Patients should also heed US government travel alerts about their intended destinations, Edelheit added.

Trip safety also can be enhanced if a medical tourism agent works with the patient, Lydia Gan, an economist at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke noted.

Hospitals or care providers often will have someone pick patients up at the airport and take them to their doctor appointment or hotel.

Patients also should do research on care quality before looking at prices, Edelheit said. They should learn where their potential doctor received training and look for any accreditations or certifications.

“They really need to make sure they are going with the best of the best,” he said.Dr, Nolan Perez, a gastroenterologist in Brownsville, Texas, told CNN he has seen a lot of bad outcomes.

“There are a lot of infections and a lot of botched procedures gone wrong, and patients have to come back to the United States and then have a revision of the surgery,” he said. “So it’s really unfortunate.”

The risk for patients may not end after the procedure. If someone has complications after returning home, it may be hard for their US doctor to learn the details about the care received during a trip.

Dr, Nolan Perez, a gastroenterologist in Brownsville, Texas, told CNN he has seen a lot of bad outcomes.

“There are a lot of infections and a lot of botched procedures gone wrong, and patients have to come back to the United States and then have a revision of the surgery,” he said. “So it’s really unfortunate.”

Patients also may find it difficult to sue their doctor or hospital in Mexico, Bustamante added.

“Navigating the system is usually complicated,” he said.

With inputs from agencies

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