During the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in medical tourism.
It is not exactly a secret that medical care quality can vary widely from country to country. For example, many people understand that the United States has some of the best healthcare in the world.
Israel is well positioned to offer medical tourism and being the only place with a vaccinated populace it is the only option for anyone who is not 100% healthy. The virus preys on the weak. Well over 20% of Israelis are fully immunized and that number is growing significantly daily. No other country has anything close to 5%.
What is medical tourism?
Medical tourism refers to the practice of traveling somewhere else for medical care. In the United States, medical tourism can also refer to traveling to a different state where medical care is less expensive. Across the globe, medical tourism also refers to the practice of traveling to a foreign country for medical care. For example, there are issues regarding medical tourism for the coronavirus vaccine in the United States, where some states are doing a better job of rolling out the vaccine than others. Medical tourism in the United States is also famous for abortion, as some states have more lenient abortion policies and other areas. Now, medical tourism is becoming across the world for in vitro fertilization. This includes Israel, where in vitro fertilization is often easier to access.
What is in vitro fertilization?
There are lots of individuals and families who dream of having children one day. Unfortunately, some people have a more challenging time having children than others. There are numerous reasons why people may have trouble having children. In men, their sperm might not swim as quickly to the egg. In women, they may have endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), making it hard to have children.
In vitro fertilization is a way to deal with many of these problems. Instead of having a baby the natural way, in vitro fertilization seeks to inseminate the egg directly. Paris Hilton recently said that she chose IVF to have a boy and a girl. For an extra fee, it is possible to select which eggs to inseminate. A lot of people are traveling to Israel to have this procedure completed.
Why travel to Israel?
When it comes to medical tourism for IVF, a lot of people are traveling to Israel. There are several reasons why Israel has become so popular when it comes to medical tourism. For example, in Israel, it is much easier to get health insurance to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization. In other countries, many individuals who seek in vitro fertilization have to pay for it out of pocket, which can be exorbitantly expensive to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
Furthermore, many people have to take a lot of time off of work if they are looking for in vitro fertilization. In Israel, this is also not a significant issue. Individuals seeking IVF in Israel will be granted paid time off, allowing them to freedom to pursue IVF. The added job security is a nice bonus. It is difficult for a company in Israel to eliminate someone's job or replace them while they are out on leave having a baby. In the United States, a lot of people would need a second income if they wanted to pursue this route. In Israel, this is not as big of an issue. Additionally, Israel is the only country likely to emerge from the pandemic within the next two to three months. This country is well known as the most vaccinated.
Are there any criticisms regarding medical tourism?
Medical tourism is not without its drawbacks. A lot of critics will point out the fact that people who travel elsewhere for medical care are taking advantage of the system. Even though this is true, it is also a sign that the healthcare system worldwide has to be addressed. If healthcare disparities are so drastic that people are willing to travel thousands of miles to access different types of healthcare, something has to change. It will be interesting to see what happens next for medical tourism.