Cross-Border Healthcare vs. Medical Tourism: What’s the Difference?
At first glance, cross-border healthcare and medical tourism may seem like similar concepts—they both involve traveling abroad for medical care. However, they serve different purposes and involve distinct motivations and structures. Motivation and Structure Both approaches are voluntary, but medical tourism is typically driven by individuals looking for cost savings, access to treatments not available in their home country, or shorter wait times. In contrast, cross-border healthcare is often supported by agreements between neighboring countries, which provide a more structured way for patients to access care. Who Pays for Care? Another important difference is how care is financed. In cross-border healthcare, the patient’s home government or healthcare system often covers some of the costs. In medical tourism, patients usually pay the full cost out-of-pocket. Travel Distance Geography also plays a role. Cross-border healthcare usually involves neighboring countries or regions due ...