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Medical Tourism Still Booms Despite Recession
By Elizabeth Neely

As economies began to falter last fall, there were many predictions how this would play out for the young but booming medical tourism industry. With several months of shaky economic news now in the past, some interesting trends are starting to emerge, most of which add fuel to medical tourism's growth.

One shift becoming evident is the dip in requests for surgery overseas where there's no medical urgency, such as tummy tucks, chiseled noses and dental veneers. There's a corresponding uptick in serious surgery--such as knee replacements, bypass surgery, spine fusion, hip resurfacing. Assuming equal quality and significant savings, a recent Gallop poll shows only 20 percent would travel abroad for cosmetic surgery, while 40% would travel for alternative treatment for a major medical problem.