Listen now (25 mins) | Listen Now Medical tourism has been defined moreover as people traveling from less developed to more developed countries to receive medical treatment. Today, well over one million Americans travel both within the US and worldwide to receive a wide variety of medical interventions. Medical tourism originating in the US is growing dramatically, it is today considered one of the fastest growing segments in our health care industry. The primary reason for its popularity is of course cost or cost savings (though wait times can play a factor as well). A recent NYT poll found for example 46% of respondents describe paying for health care as a "hardship". Both self-employed companies as well as private insurance plans have offered tourism coverage for certain procedures for several years. However, like all medical care, procedures received abroad are not without risk.