Nogales, Mexico is a city not far south of the U.S. border. Along its city blocks, dental offices and pharmacies are increasingly attracting American tourists.
Roughly 80 percent of travel for medical services is motivated by cost savings, a Medical Tourism Association survey found in 2013. Medical tourists spend between $7,475 and $15,833 on each trip, and medical travel contributes between $45 and $95 billion to global GDP, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Latin America, especially Mexico, is a leading region for medical travel.
"Dental services have become a huge industry here," Christopher Teal, U.S. Consul General in Nogales, Sonora, told the LA Times. "It's high quality as long as people shop around and know what they're getting for their money. Americans come here for price differences, speed and access that they can't get back home"
Many Americans also visit Mexican pharmacies to fill prescriptions and avoid high prices in the U.S. Prices in Mexican pharmacies can range between 30 to 50 percent on some drugs. As long as a patient has a prescription from an American or Mexican physician, they can purchase the drugs and return to the U.S. with them.
Medical Tourism Association found nearly 76 percent of patients with an interest in medical travel are American. While prior concerns about safety have kept many Americans from making the trip across the border, a decrease in violence in recent years has spurred more medical tourism in Mexico, especially Nogales.
"Everything is at least 50 percent cheaper," Jim Reed, 74, told the LA Times. "It's so expensive back home and it's good quality we can afford here."
Keith Reed, Mr. Reed's 46-year-old son, said he travels to Nogales for a $35 teeth cleaning. "I don't have insurance at home in Denver, so a cleaning there for me would be between $120 and $135, not including X-rays."
Keith is a small business owner and Jim has Medicare, but it does not include dental coverage and he cannot afford supplemental insurance on his income. Many Americans have found themselves in similar situations to the Reeds. A Commonwealth Fund study found about 23 percent of Americans with health insurance are considered underinsured, up from 12 percent in 2003. This means approximately 31 million Americans who have purchased health plans still struggle to afford treatment under their policies, according to the report.
The Commonwealth Fund researchers defined "underinsured" people as having out-of-pocket costs that total 10 percent or more of their annual income, or a deductible that is 5 percent or more of their income.