Insurers have been grappling with the problem of medical tourism/non-emergency cross-border medical treatment for some years. Some cover it automatically, others ban it, some have pilots, and others have a public view.
For insurers the choice is to ignore it, do the minimum, expand their offering, or offer full customer service even for non-insured treatment. Customers will certainly think they are entitled to more care than they legally are.
Included in the report are details of the relevant areas of the EU cross-border healthcare directive, and what may be expected of the EU insurance industry.
Insured medical tourism is not just a European problem; in the US there are several covers offering this, some pilots and a lot of discussion.
This report looks at what EU, US, and other insurance organisations offer; their views, pilots, case studies, and more.
Many insurers are particularly concerned with just how people living on the borders near another country can be helped. The report explores how cross-border schemes for dual treatment in the USA or Mexico, have developed.
Medical tourism (where people go overseas for medical treatment, dental and cosmetic surgery, and fertility treatment) is catching on worldwide, with an estimated 5 million medical tourists globally. Over 300 countries offer medical tourism services. As healthcare providers review their options to meet growing healthcare demands with limited resources, medical tourism offers the potential for patients to combine cost savings with travel, but paradoxically, many of the top destinations are high cost countries; so equating medical tourism with low cost is no longer true.
‘Health insurers and medical tourism/cross-border healthcare’ is the most detailed and up-to-date global guide to the subject in a compact form. Written and published by Ian Youngman, it analyses published and unpublished information on the subject. The author is an insurance professional who is also a respected analyst of medical tourism.
Key market issues
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Are insurers already involved in medical tourism?
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How will the EU cross-border healthcare directive affect insurers?
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Can the EU learn from the USA?
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What will your competitors do?
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Should insurers be reactive or proactive?
Key questions answered
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What are the different types of medical tourism?
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What will be the impact of the EU cross-border healthcare directive?
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Which insurers offer cover?
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What do leading US/UK insurers think?
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What EU/Asian/ US schemes and pilots exist?
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How do cross-border US/Mexico schemes work?
Report contents
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Introduction to Medical tourism
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European cross-border healthcare
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Health insurance cover and attitude; UK
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Health insurance cover and attitude; EU
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Health insurance cover and attitude; USA
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USA pilot case studies
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Health insurance cover and attitude; elsewhere
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Cross–border US-Mexican healthcare
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The alternatives for insurers
A companion report ‘Insurance for Medical Tourists and Medical Tourism Organisations “ will follow in April 2011.
