Glenn Cohen, the youngest professor at Harvard Law School, has examined the potential risks and legal issues involved with medical tourism from many different perspectives. International medical travel has been promoted as an inexpensive and easy way to travel to exotic locations while receiving inexpensive healthcare. What is not often discussed before patients become medical tourists is what can go wrong during this experience.
In this interview, Professor Cohen offers insights to how medical tourism consumers can protect themselves, the reasons why this sector does not have a widespread acceptance among insurance companies, and potential issues to come in the future.
Professor Cohen says that so far, major hospitals or hospital groups have not been affected by negative publicity surrounding medical complications with medical tourists. “There isn’t much legal case law, or history of adverse events, in part, I believe, because hospitals don’t want the negative publicity,” says Professor Cohen.
Professor Cohen’s advice to medical travelers is to proceed cautiously. It’s difficult to bring foreign providers into US courts or to bring a lawsuit to a foreign country.
One reason health insurance companies have not adopted medical travel as a way to cut costs is because of the complexity of U.S. insurance regulations. Most regulations are controlled by individual states, or self-funded companies. According to Professor Cohen this could be a better opportunity to incorporate international travel benefits for employees.
Despite the challenges involved with medical travel, Professor Cohen has a positive outlook for the future of this sector. He considers the early challenges characteristics of emerging markets.