A look into medical tourism

Kaiser Health News published a look at one family's decision to seek medical treatment in Mexico even though they lived in the US. Essentially, because of high medical costs in the US, and because of various cost-sharing mechanisms, the family faced medical bills that were a meaningful fraction of their annual income. When the third member of the family needed medical attention, they decided to save money by seeking treatment in Mexico.

Many procedures (beyond an office visit) may cost the patient thousands of dollars, even after insurance. While the local medical center offered financial assistance, figuring out how much would be owed in the context of an urgent condition (in this case, a dislocated shoulder) seems impractical. The article notes that this family is far from alone in their decision. As medical costs continue to be high, a variety of people will try to figure out workarounds that they can live with.