Medical tourism

The recent kidnapping in Mexico has reignited conversations about medical tourism …

Transcript

00:00The four Americans who traveled to Mexico before being kidnapped were reportedly taking part in

00:04medical tourism. So what is medical tourism? Brit can explain in less than 60 seconds.

00:08Earlier this week, we reported on four Americans who traveled to Mexico so one could reportedly

00:13get a more affordable tummy tuck. During their trip, they were kidnapped by armed gunmen and two

00:17of the four travelers were killed. This story sparked conversations about medical tourism,

00:21a worldwide multi-billion dollar market in which individuals travel internationally for medical

00:26care and treatment. U.S. citizens are regularly leaving the country in search of dental care,

00:31surgery, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer

00:37treatment. And according to the CDC, Mexico accounts for 40 percent of all medical tourism

00:42and an estimated 400,000 people a year traveled there for medical purposes from the U.S. prior

00:48to COVID-19. Since the kidnapping and killings, officials have reiterated that medical tourism

00:52patients need to keep an eye on government travel warnings and do extensive research before their

00:57trips.