Traveling For Medical Care

By NAN Travel & Lifestyle Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Mar. 31, 2017:  Say travel and many associate it with pleasure or business. Few think about travel for medical care. But in many Caribbean nations, more and more nationals who can afford it are traveling outside of their country to access health care in the developed world.

Bermudians are among many Caribbean nationals travelling for medical care, a new report analyzed by News Americas Now shows. According to a new study, “OVERSEAS CARE” A Synopsis of Trends For the Islands of Bermuda” by the Bermuda Health Council (BHC), Bermudians utilized over 5,000 different overseas providers, departments or entities for care and ancillary services just last year alone.

These included large medical centers, university health services, family physician offices, commercial pharmacies, eye wear online retailers, pathology labs, pediatric centers, orthopedic specialists, dermatology offices, mental health organizations, skilled nursing facilities, ground and air ambulance services, hotels, and many more.

These services spanned over 41 different US states and 29 countries. Of the 70 different locations, 28 of them saw revenue of greater than $100,000 from Bermuda residents, the BHC found.

The most overseas provider types used (outside of hospital services) were pediatric care, spinal care, dermatology, radiology, pharmacy, pathology, psychology, ophthalmology and orthopedic medicine.

The report also found that some 7,526 Bermuda residents received overseas care accounting for a whopping $84.5 million and spent $6 million on transportation and accommodation. Many patients accessed overseas care for ‘general symptoms’ through insurance, charitable contributions, and out-of-pocket payments.

In Boston, Massachusetts alone, nationals of Bermuda spent $40M on health care services, excluding online patient services, travel, and lodging.

Among the top ten facilities in Boston that benefited that spend included Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Eastern Regional Medical, Griffin Hospital, Johns Hopkins, Lahey Clinic Hospital, Massachusetts General, Mayo Clinic Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital.