Medical tourism has ballooned into a $100 billion industry, and struggling travel agents want to cash in. But is the lure of cheaper treatment and a possible vacation worth the risk to your health? James R. Goldberg, a healthcare executive and author of “The American Medical Money Machine: The Destruction of Healthcare in America and The Rise of Medical Tourism,” isn’t so sure, according to the Houston Chronicle. “There are no International Treaties which address the safety of patients sent overseas for medical treatment,” he said at a speech in April. “Although the lure of far less expensive care is taking hold as the American medical system continues to deteriorate, medical care provided overseas is completely unregulated.”
Also disconcerting is the fact that certain treatments, such as the popular LAP-BAND surgery which helps patients lose weight, may be safer done in the U.S. than in countries like Turkey and India where the procedure may be unregulated and use outdated equipment.