By
Lada Endresen
Submitted On January 05, 2016
Do you feel doubtful about going abroad for treatment? It's more
common than you think. Other than your hospital bill, you should also
include a round-trip flight ticket, hotel, and meals to your health
travel expenses. Make it double if your husband has already asked for a
vacation and packed his jeans.
Should you give up? Well, if the picture had been so hopeless, 750,000 Americans and 70,000 Britons wouldn't have traveled each year to Lithuania, India, Turkey, and Israel for dentistry, infertility treatment, and heart surgery.
So, without further ado, here are 4 time-tested ways to save on your medical trip abroad without tightening your belt.
1. Save on your first appointment at an overseas clinic
Collect your medical information at home. This is especially true when your healthcare plan covers X-rays, CT, MRI, and other medical procedures. Your current health reports, laboratory tests, and images will help you:
2. Save on your hospital stay
After you choose a specific clinic, ask the patient manager what to pack to feel comfortable and at ease in a new environment. On top of the list of things s/he recommends you to bring, you may also want to include such important points as:
Got extended family or friends overseas? Good news. You will be surprised to learn that for 30% of health travelers it is a key factor when doing their health travel search. To save on your expenses if you, say, choose Rome for your medical destination, try to find a person you know who lives there. If there's none, ask the clinic for advice. Most of them offer guest houses right under their roof or hotel rooms in a walking distance from the hospital for patients and their companions.
Remember to also check websites where people rent out lodging. If you are pressed for money, stay at B&Bs, apartments, or hostels. This will save you quite a lot especially when you are traveling with someone or need lengthy treatment. However, hostels can't offer as much privacy as you might need during your treatment.
Make sure to visit the following online resources for budget-friendly housing options:
4. Save on flight tickets and airport transfers
If you plan your health trip in low season (i.e. between spring and summer breaks), you are more likely to catch airfares 20-50% off the price. Checking a few airlines can also be a good money-saving idea as travel deals can vary considerably from company to company. Some airline companies offer discounts for medical tourists if they choose to undergo treatment at a specific medical facility.
Before you travel, remember to ask the clinic about the meet & greet airport service. The staff can have years of experience with foreign patients who prefer to travel by air just like you. Therefore, some health centers arrange free airport pick-up for their overseas patients while others provide transfers only to those who arrive for serious surgical procedures or whose length of stay exceeds 10 days.
Should you give up? Well, if the picture had been so hopeless, 750,000 Americans and 70,000 Britons wouldn't have traveled each year to Lithuania, India, Turkey, and Israel for dentistry, infertility treatment, and heart surgery.
So, without further ado, here are 4 time-tested ways to save on your medical trip abroad without tightening your belt.
1. Save on your first appointment at an overseas clinic
Collect your medical information at home. This is especially true when your healthcare plan covers X-rays, CT, MRI, and other medical procedures. Your current health reports, laboratory tests, and images will help you:
- get second medical opinion straight to your email box from one or more overseas doctors
- make a weighted decision as to where and when to travel abroad for treatment
- save time and cash upon arrival because health screenings can take 1-3 days
2. Save on your hospital stay
After you choose a specific clinic, ask the patient manager what to pack to feel comfortable and at ease in a new environment. On top of the list of things s/he recommends you to bring, you may also want to include such important points as:
- your regular medication because you never know how much it is going to cost abroad in case you run out of it
- your laptop/mobile phone because most health centers offer Wi-Fi for patients to stay in touch with their family (so you won't have to use pay-per-hour Internet cafés)
- slip-proof shoes for safety reasons as in most hospitals floor cleaning regime is quite strict
- sleep wear for your comfort especially if you choose to stay in a twin room
- your favorite hygiene products even though most hospitals offer their own soap and shampoo
Got extended family or friends overseas? Good news. You will be surprised to learn that for 30% of health travelers it is a key factor when doing their health travel search. To save on your expenses if you, say, choose Rome for your medical destination, try to find a person you know who lives there. If there's none, ask the clinic for advice. Most of them offer guest houses right under their roof or hotel rooms in a walking distance from the hospital for patients and their companions.
Remember to also check websites where people rent out lodging. If you are pressed for money, stay at B&Bs, apartments, or hostels. This will save you quite a lot especially when you are traveling with someone or need lengthy treatment. However, hostels can't offer as much privacy as you might need during your treatment.
Make sure to visit the following online resources for budget-friendly housing options:
- Couchsurfing
- Airbnb
4. Save on flight tickets and airport transfers
If you plan your health trip in low season (i.e. between spring and summer breaks), you are more likely to catch airfares 20-50% off the price. Checking a few airlines can also be a good money-saving idea as travel deals can vary considerably from company to company. Some airline companies offer discounts for medical tourists if they choose to undergo treatment at a specific medical facility.
Before you travel, remember to ask the clinic about the meet & greet airport service. The staff can have years of experience with foreign patients who prefer to travel by air just like you. Therefore, some health centers arrange free airport pick-up for their overseas patients while others provide transfers only to those who arrive for serious surgical procedures or whose length of stay exceeds 10 days.
If you need help with choosing a clinic or treatment overseas, check out International Medical Tourism Center at http://imedicaltourismcenter.com. Let's see how we can help you or the one you love.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lada_Endresen/2224261
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