Over the years I have heard a story or two about American’s flying overseas to get special
(cheaper) medical and dental attention, but it seems to be a bigger trend
than I initially heard. USA Today has
a story on Nancy Carothers and her toothy dental experience in Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary. (Pronounced
moshon-mag-yah-RO-var, the city name itself is a mouthful.) Nancy decided to head to Hungary to get the eight crown
dental work after consulting a travel agency, who had been specializing in dental tourism since 2001. Though her trip
expenses totaled somewhere around $4,300, the dental work only cost her $2,900 while the rest was sightseeing, airfare,
and accommodation. Had she had the work done in the U.S. with her insurance plan her expenses may
have totaled $11,150. Seems a little hard to believe, but at the same time this is America. If people can
make a small fortune off of your mouth then they will.
For the many Americans without insurance, traveling abroad may be the best way to go to seek medical/dental
attention. I’d do it in a heartbeat if I had anything in need of some fixin’ and the money to spare right at the
moment, because in the long run you save a lot more. Oh, and you also get to see some pretty cool places in the
process. Those who are weary about having services performed in foreign lands should check out the many links
provided in USA Today article, by clicking
here.