I'll stand by my statement and use as proof your article link. I didn't say that there weren't people from the US that travel elsewhere if they were unsatisfied or had to wait. Originally Posted by fritz3552I provided the link to prove your point...to an extent. As I mentioned, I didn't want people thinking I was just calling BS on them. If I saw something that validated the quote in question, I posted it. However, the fact that a larger number, with estimates of 1.5 million for 2008, far outnumbers the 60-85K the US sees from visiting patients. I think the numbers speak for themselves. But, part of my question, which I should have specified, is how do you know it is Canucks, Brits and Frenchies are the ones coming here? Is that speculation? I could understand the wealthy in countries with less developed health care coming here, but Canada, England and France are by no means third world countries with less than stellar health care. How do you know it is from having health care denied? I could understand the waiting issue, but I was just curious about the denial issue.
As an example of the waiting issue, I could understand that a patient that may need a hip replacement, which I would categorize as non-life threatening but extremely uncomfortable, as one that may come here for the surgery. Wait times may be a couple of months. I'm not saying I know if that has ever happened, but I would understand it. Although, I would think most would wait because of the costs associated with it.
One question I have, which I may look up later, is what type of surgeries Americans are getting overseas? Years ago I believe it was 60 Minutes that did a story on Americans going to places such as India for plastic surgery. The surgery was exceptionally cheap and the patients would go to seaside resorts during their recovery time. So they got surgery and a trip to the resort for less than surgery here.