就医费用高等待久，每年上百万美国人为省钱省时冒险赴墨治疗

Medical tourism to Mexico is on the rise

据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，近日，4名前往墨西哥就医的美国人遭到当地武装分子绑架，数天后，两人获救，两人被发现已经死亡。政府官员称，3月7日这四名美国人在墨西哥边境城市马塔莫罗斯附近被发现。调查人员仍在对该起绑架案进行调查。

据统计，每年有上百万美国人冒着抢劫、绑架等风险进入墨西哥就医。费用低、等待时间短等因素是这些美国人赴墨就医的主要原因。尽管存在巨大的风险，但根据墨西哥医疗旅游业委员会的数据，每年仍有约100万美国人前往墨西哥接受医疗服务。

Medical tourism takes people all over the world, including to Mexico, India and Eastern Europe. “It’s on the daily, without a doubt. There are people going daily to get this kind of stuff done,” said Dr. Nolan Perez, a gastroenterologist in Brownsville, Texas, which is across the border from Matamoros. “Whether it’s primary care provider visits or dental procedures or something more significant, like elective or weight loss surgery, there’s no doubt that people are doing that because of low cost and easier access.”

医疗旅游将美国人带到墨西哥、印度和东欧等地。得克萨斯州布朗斯维尔消化内科医生诺兰·佩雷斯称：“毫无疑问，医疗旅游每天都在上演。无论是初级医疗保健、牙科手术，还是择期手术或减肥手术等更复杂的医疗服务，毫无疑问，人们之所以这样做是因为成本低，更容易获得。”

One study published in the American Journal of Medicine estimated that fewer than 800,000 Americans traveled to other countries for medical care in 2007, but by 2017, more than 1 million did.

《美国医学杂志》发布的一项研究估算，2007年到其他国家就医的美国人不到80万，但到2017年，这一数字超过100万。

More current estimates suggest that those numbers have continued to grow.

最新估算显示，赴外国就医的美国人人数持续增长。

“People travel because there may be a long waiting time, wait lists or other reasons why they can’t get treatment as quickly as they would like it. So they explore their options outside the United States to see what’s available,” said Elizabeth Ziemba, president of Medical Tourism Training, which provides training and accreditation to international health travel organizations.

医疗旅游培训是一家为国际健康旅行组织提供培训和认证的机构。该机构总裁伊丽莎白·齐恩巴表示：“人们选择医疗旅行是因为，在美国就医可能因为等待时间长、等待名单长或其他原因无法尽快得到治疗。因此，他们将目光投向国外。”

Also, “price is a big issue in the United States. We know that the US health care system is incredibly expensive,” she added. “Even for people with insurance, there may be high deductibles or out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by insurance, so that people will look based on price for what’s available in other destinations.”

此外，齐恩巴表示：“费用是一个大问题。我们知道美国的医疗系统收费极高。即使买了保险，也可能会有高额的免赔额或自付费用，这些费用不在保险范围内，因此人们会根据价格选择可以付得起的目的地。”

The most common procedures that prompt medical tourism trips include dental care, surgery, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplants and cancer treatment, according to the CDC.

美国疾病预防控制中心表示，医疗旅行最常见的项目包括牙科护理、外科手术、美容手术、生育治疗、器官和组织移植以及癌症治疗。

Mexico is the second most popular destination for medical tourism globally, with an estimated 1.4 million to 3 million people coming into the country to take advantage of inexpensive treatment in 2020, according to Patients Beyond Borders.

墨西哥是全球第二最受欢迎的医疗旅游目的地，据“无国界患者”（Patients Beyond Borders）称，2020年，估计有140万至300万人来到墨西哥享受廉价治疗。

On average, Americans can save 40% to 60% across the most common major procedures received by medical tourists in Mexico, according to an analysis of 2020 health ministry data conducted by Patients Beyond Borders.

根据“无国界患者”组织对2020年美国卫生部数据的分析，美国人在墨西哥旅行接受常见主要手术，平均可以节省40%至60%的费用。

来源：CNN，新京报