The medical care industry in Costa Rica is booming.
For Americans and other foreign visitors.
Though it is one of the smallest countries on earth,Costa Rica medical tourism is so popular that the country is one of the top 5 medical tourist destinations.
Little wonder.
The cost of employer-sponsored medical insurance in the US exploded in 2011, exceeding $15,000 yearly for family coverage.
The costs of health care coverage for single employees jumped 8% from the year before.
We are not saying $15,000 for the cost of medical care for a family of 4; that is the price for the insurance premium!
And, that's the cost for folks sufficiently lucky to have employer-sponsored insurance. For everybody else---tens of millions of people---costs are out-of-pocket.
About 15% of international tourists visiting this tropical paradise come for its medical services, mostly for dental care and cosmetic surgery. San Jose, Costa Rica's capitol, and its surrounding area are home to hundreds of board-certified doctors, surgeons and dentists.
That is a staggering 36,000 patients a year.
To understand why so many Americans and others take a medical or dental holiday in Costa Rica, consider this. Major dental work involving complicated procedures is frequently done for an average of 60% less than in the States. For instance, a California woman who was quoted $6,600 for extensive dental work received the same care for $2,600 in Costa Rica. Her dentist was a U.S.-trained oral surgeon with state-of-the-art equipment and materials.
Plastic surgery is the biggest medical tourism draw in Costa Rica as facelifts, breast enhancements, and other procedures are frequently performed for less than half what you'd pay in a similar facility in the United States.
And, to make life even simpler, some medical or dental suppliers include the cost of airline ticket and hotel into their quotes!
There are a few reasons that expat or visitor medical care in Costa Rica is increasing almost 20% a year.
One big reason, surely, is the large number of uninsured North Americans. Then, there's the seemingly never-ending rise in medical and dental prices.
However, there's more. Costa Rica has made medical tourism a national imperative and now boasts several world class hospitals the equal of the finest in America and Europe.
And, of course, there's the added bonus of tacking on a superb tropical holiday.
About the Author:
Whether you want to combine a great vacation with medical or dental treatment, or simply sit on the beach or take in its adult nightlife, Costa Rica vacations have something to offer everyone.And, if you want to learn more about some of its internationally accredited hospitals and clinics, take a second to visit our page on medical care in Costa Rica.
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