College Times

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News

"The cost thing was a lot of the reason why I went and I just wanted to get it taken care of," De Los Heros said.

De Los Heros was 17 years old when he got the procedure, so his mother, father, sister and brother all came along.

"I don't see why people wouldn't get surgeries done [overseas]," De Los Heros said. "When you can get the whole family done for $400 dollars, why not?"

Erin Traeger, a recent graduate from ASU who currently lives on the Balkan Peninsula, has been medically treated in both Macedonia and Bosnia and empathized with those who have affordability concerns.

"I can tell you it's a whole lot cheaper to get your dental work done out in Macedonia than it is back [in Arizona], even with insurance," Traeger said. "And if you don't have medical insurance, it's definitely cheaper to get health care in other countries."

For many, though, the perception lingers that foreign hospitals have lower standards than their US counterparts.

De Los Heros said that he was not worried about being abroad in a foreign hospital.

"It wasn't like I was like 'Oh my God, I might get a disease from those needles,'" De Los Heros said. "I was totally comfortable with it."

Marsek says credible companies offering medical tourism should be identifying quality hospitals that are "conducive to medical tourism" and that customers should be impressed with the level of research and effort that goes into forming a relationship with international hospitals.

Marsek said that medical tourism could shine a light on the growing problem of medical care in America.

"It is a catalyst for change in the healthcare system in the US," Marsek said. "Perhaps America will become the chosen destination for procedures in the future."

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