Medical tourism in Mexico: Why are Americans heading south of the border for surgery?

Healthcare costs in the United States have hit a historic high, sending an increasing number of residents south of the border for care.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMM) projects that due to additional healthcare coverage options available to the public due to the covid-19 pandemic, the percentage of insured residents will have peaked in 2022. By 2030 the CMM estimates that the rate of insured people will fall from a high of 91.1 percent to 90.5 percent. Even with such high levels of coverage, data on medical tourism demonstrates that many who have access to health insurance still cannot afford the care they need.

Before the pandemic, around 1.2 million people traveled from the US to Mexico as medical tourists, according to Medical Tourism Mexico. These levels fell dramatically as travel restrictions and closed borders limited mobility. With many restrictions lifted and people feeling more comfortable traveling, medical tourism is returning to pre-pandemic.

The phenomenon has come under renewed scrutiny after four US citizens were kidnapped in Mexico, one of which had traveled to receive medical care. According to CNN, a source who wished to remain anonymous said Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee traveled to Mexico with three friends, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and Eric Williams, to receive a cosmetic surgery. Washington McGee and Williams were found alive, but Brown and Woodward had been killed when authorities arrived.

What drives medical tourism to Mexico?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported aimed at better understanding the motivation of those who caught care internationally. Of the 582 medical tourists surveyed, said that they traveled because the procedure was “too expensive in the United States” (51 percent) or “not covered by insurance” (14 percent). Of medical tourists who cited the cost of care, seventy percent said they traveled to receive dental care.

The top ten treatments sought in other countries, including Mexico, were:

Regarding employment status, the most likely group to travel to Mexico were those who were unemployed or retired. Additionally, the rate of medical tourism was higher for those with incomes under $75,000.