VOA健康报道2023 专家称医疗旅游有风险（在线收听）

The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico brought attention to a common practice for many people in the United States: medical tourism.

最近，四名美国人在墨西哥被绑架的事件引起了人们对许多美国人的一种普遍做法的关注：医疗旅游。

Medical tourism is traveling to other countries to receive medical care that is not available or too costly at home.

医疗旅游是指前往其他国家接受国内无法获得或太贵的医疗服务。

The four Americans were caught in a shootout between criminal drug organizations.

这四名美国人是在毒品犯罪组织之间的枪战中被抓获的。

Two were killed and two were held in a remote area of Mexico.

两人被杀，两人被关押在墨西哥的一个偏远地区。

A family member said the four were on a trip from the U.S. so that one of them could get cosmetic surgery from a doctor in Matamoros.

一名家庭成员说，这四人是从美国来的，其中一人要在马塔莫罗斯的一名医生那里做整容手术。

Experts say people leave the U.S. to get many medical procedures.

专家表示，人们离开美国是为了做许多手术。

These include cosmetic surgery, dental care, cancer treatments and buying medicines.

其中包括整容手术、牙齿护理、癌症治疗和购买药品。

Lydia Gan is an economist at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

莉迪亚·甘恩是北卡罗来纳大学彭布罗克分校的经济学家。

She said medical tourism has been growing in popularity for years.

她说，医疗旅游近年来越来越受欢迎。

This kind of travel is popular with people who have no health insurance or health plans that require them to pay thousands of dollars in additional costs.

这种旅行很受那些没有医疗保险或健康计划的人的欢迎，医疗保险或健康计划需要他们支付数千美元的额外费用。

Sometimes, companies send people covered by their insurance to other countries for medical procedures like hip or knee replacements.

有时，公司会将有保险的人送到其他国家进行髋、膝关节置换等手术。

Some companies also send people to Mexico for less costly medicines.

有些公司还会派人去墨西哥购买更便宜的药品。

Jonathan Edelheit is head of the Medical Tourism Association, an industry trade group.

乔纳森·埃德海特是医疗旅游协会的负责人，医疗旅游协会是一个行业贸易组织。

He told the Associated Press that medical care costs in countries like Mexico can be more than 50 percent lower than in the U.S.

他告诉美联社，墨西哥等国的医疗费用比美国低50%以上。

Also, cosmetic surgeries that cost thousands of dollars are largely not covered by U.S. health insurers.

此外，花费数千美元的整容手术在很大程度上不包含在美国健康保险公司的保险范围内。

Patients sometimes travel because they can get quick care outside the U.S.

患者有时去旅行是因为他们可以在美国以外的地方得到快速治疗。

They also might want to seek treatment from a doctor who speaks their language or comes from the same culture.

他们也可能想从会说他们的语言或来自相同文化的医生那里寻求治疗。

Medical Tourism Magazine, the trade group's publication, said over $37 billion was spent on medical tourism in 2019 around the world.

该行业组织的出版物《医疗旅游杂志》写道，2019年全球医疗旅游支出超过370亿美元。

Besides Mexico, the publication said the top five countries for medical tourism are Canada, Singapore, Japan, Spain, and Britain.

除墨西哥外，该出版物写道，医疗旅游排名前五的国家是加拿大、新加坡、日本、西班牙和英国。

Other places include Dubai, Costa Rica, Israel, Abu Dhabi, and India.

其他地方包括迪拜、哥斯达黎加、以色列、阿布扎比和印度。

In 2019, the city-state of Singapore received more than 500,000 foreign visitors for its less costly and high-quality healthcare.

2019年，新加坡以其成本更低、质量更高的医疗服务接待了超过50万名外国游客。

For example, heart bypass surgery could cost $140,000 in the U.S. compared to $25,000 in Singapore.

例如，心脏搭桥手术在美国可能需要花费14万美元，而在新加坡则只需花费2.5万美元。

In Spain, the average cost of cosmetic surgery such as a face lift could be $5,000 instead of $15,000 in the U.S.

在西班牙，面部拉皮等整容手术的平均费用可能为5000美元，而在美国则为1.5万美元。

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (or CDC) says millions of people from the U.S. travel to other countries for care each year.

美国疾病控制和预防中心表示，每年有数百万美国人前往其他国家接受治疗。

Researcher Arturo Bustamante estimates that 400,000 people traveled from the U.S. to Mexico each year for care before COVID-19 appeared.

研究人员阿图罗·布斯塔曼特估计，在新冠疫情爆发之前，每年有40万人从美国前往墨西哥接受治疗。

The University of California, Los Angeles health policy professor said most of the people visiting Mexico for care are Mexican or Latino immigrants living in the U.S.

这位加州大学洛杉矶分校的卫生政策教授说，大多数去墨西哥接受治疗的人都是居住在美国的墨西哥或拉丁裔移民。

He said non-Latino patients mainly cross the border to get treatment for their teeth, buy prescription drugs, or to receive cosmetic surgery or some cancer treatments not covered in the U.S.

他说，非拉丁裔患者主要是为了治疗牙齿，购买处方药，或者接受整容手术或一些美国保险没有覆盖的癌症治疗服务。

However, the CDC warns medical tourism could be risky depending on the country and the medical center.

然而，美国疾控中心警告称，由于国家和医疗中心的不同，医疗旅游可能会有风险。

Among the risks, the health agency says, are infectious diseases, quality of care, language difficulties and follow-up care.

该卫生机构表示，这些风险包括传染病、护理质量、语言障碍和后续护理。

To reduce risks, the CDC advises people to work with a healthcare provider or travel medicine provider before making the trip.

为了降低风险，美国疾控中心建议人们在旅行前与医疗服务提供者或药物提供者进行沟通。

Lydia Gan of North Carolina noted that care providers often have someone pick patients up at the airport and take them to the health center or hotel.

北卡罗来纳州的莉迪亚·甘恩指出，医护人员经常会派人到机场接病人，然后把他们送到医疗中心或酒店。

The CDC says patients should research healthcare providers and health centers.

美国疾控中心表示，患者应该调查医疗服务提供者和健康中心。

Edelheit of the Medical Tourism Association added that patients should research care quality before considering prices.

医疗旅游协会的埃德海特补充说，患者在考虑价格之前应该先研究医疗质量。

"They really need to make sure they are going with the best of the best," he said.

他说：“他们真的需要确保自己选择的是最优秀的医务人员。”

Once patients choose a country and provider, the CDC advises to bring medical records and to inform medical workers of any health problems.

一旦患者选择了国家和提供者，疾控中心建议患者携带医疗记录，并将自己的健康问题告知医务人员。

After a procedure, the agency says to get copies of all new medical records and to plan for follow-up care.

在手术结束后，该机构表示，患者将会拿到所有新的医疗记录的副本，并计划后续护理。

The risk for patients may not end after a procedure.

患者的风险可能不会在手术后结束。

If someone has medical problems after returning home, it may be hard for their doctor to learn the details about the care received during a trip.

如果某人回国后出现了健康问题，他们的医生可能很难了解旅行期间接受的护理的细节。