Unfortunately weight loss surgery is one of those much needed and desired medical procedures that is not covered by health insurance for Americans. In the past this has meant those who need and want weight loss surgeries like Lap Bands, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses with the choice of saving and paying for incredibly expensive medical care at home or continuing to suffer with their uncomfortable and in many cases, life threatening conditions. Fortunately that is now all changing.

Now those seeking medical treatment for weight loss have the option of traveling abroad to receive quality health care at a fraction of what it would cost at home. This has become known as medical tourism. Medical tourism is an industry that has been booming and has changed by leaps and bounds over the last several years. Millions of American residents are now traveling to countries like Canada, India, Brazil and Mexico each year to seek affordable health care.

At first many may immediately dismiss the idea as being unsafe. However we are not talking about visiting some backstreet butcher in the middle of nowhere. The expansion of medical tourism has spawned many world class hospitals that rival the best medical facilities in the world. In fact what many patients in the US do not know is that many parts of the health care process are already being outsourced to these countries. In an effort to cut costs US hospitals are already sending medical exams and data overseas to be interpreted and analyzed by doctors who are willing to work for pennies on the dollar. This actually means that selecting your own treatment facility abroad can ensure that you receive higher quality attention from better trained professionals. So where is the best place to look for high quality yet affordable and safe weight loss surgery? Canada may offer some discounts but not nearly as much as other countries. While Brazil and India may offer the cheapest medical services they are prohibitive because of travel time and cost and they have unfortunately also developed poor reputations for quality and safety. In contrast Mexico is not only conveniently reached within a few hours from anywhere in the US it offers the best in safety, high quality hospitals, expert doctors and prices far lower than in the US.

Safety, really? Yes. Clearly Mexico is without question safer to visit than countries like Brazil and India. Despite recent news headlines focusing on the US/ Mexico border the official statistics including the FBI’s own figures shows that Mexico is actually far safer to visit than many areas of the US!

When it comes to cost of weight loss surgery, Mexico is really unbeatable when you factor in travel and quality of medical care. Even at internationally recognized and accredited Mexican hospitals that offer the best care, prices for procedures like sleeve gastrectomy, Lap Band and gastric bypasses can be found under 50% of that in the US and often include stay at luxury hotel style facilities. In many cases this equates to savings well over $10,000 even after travel costs. However price shouldn’t be the only reason for seeking weight loss surgery out of your immediate area.

Mexico actually boasts a longer history of performing many of the most popular weight loss procedures meaning it’s doctors and medical professionals actually have been able to hone their skills and procedures better and have doctors that have far more experience performing these operations than their American counter parts. The best hospitals in Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana, Mexico are also involved in educational exchange programs with the US’s leading medical institutions and many Mexican doctors have also studied in the US.

The dramatic increase in those seeking medical treatment in Mexico has in turn given birth to several amazing multi billion dollar hospitals offering the latest technology and most advanced state of the art facilities and equipment. The best of these are accredited by the Joint Commission International that bestows it’s accreditation on a small number of hospitals world wide who meet the highest international medical standards. Here you will find far superior personalized service and health care than you could ever expect at home from friendly professionals who really care about their patients and are committed to the highest levels of treatment and maintaining their world class reputations.

So before giving up hope for getting weight loss surgery because of the cost or making a poorly informed choice of expensive treatment centers, look at all of your options including the best hospitals in Mexico.

Medical tourism for all types of medical procedures has been an increasing trend and is becoming more popular everyday. However where do you find the best savings without sacrificing quality of medical care when it comes to weight loss surgery?

These days there are many surgery centers advertising Lap Band, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery. However many of these centers that spend so much on advertising are actually more expensive as they have to devote so much of their resources to constantly attracting new clients. Additionally this can be a sign of lower quality service as there has to be cuts made somewhere in order to stay competitive, whether it is by hiring less qualified doctors and medical staff or having lower quality equipment. This is a shame as Mexico does actually offer lower cost weight loss surgery and health care at equivalent or even high standards than the US if you know where to look.

The best deals for affordable weight loss surgery across the border can actually be found in the hospitals in cities like Monterrey, Tijuana and Mexicali. New and planned hospitals in these parts of Mexico offer multi billion dollar complexes with the latest in technology and newest equipment. These hospitals attract hundreds of thousands for medical tourism each year and have built great reputations that breed masses of word of mouth referrals so do not need to turn to million dollar marketing campaigns that eat up many of the advantages of traveling to Mexico for health care.

This enables these modern and well equipped hospitals to attract and employ the best doctors and staff available and enable them to offer an elite level of service and care. These hospitals not only offer a comparable level of health care to the US according to the World Health Organization but in fact often offer a superior level of care and personalized service. The now approximately one million medical tourists visiting Mexico each year have consistently rated their experiences at Mexican hospitals better than at their American counterparts. Additionally several weight loss procedures have actually been performed for years longer in Mexico meaning that medical professionals in Tijuana, Monterrey and Mexicali have years more hands on experience and have honed their skills and techniques to be the best in the world.

So what should you be looking for when choosing a hospital in Mexico for your treatment? Mexico is distinguished from other medical tourism destinations not only for it’s proximity to the US but also for it’s internationally recognized hospitals that are accredited by the JCI (Joint Commission International), something that few other so called medical tourism destinations can boast. The best hospitals in Mexico are also involved with education exchange programs with the world’s most well respected hospitals and facilities like the Mayo Clinic. Of course like any other service in life it is also wise to search out specialists in the area of medicine your are searching for. The International Business Bureau is also a good way to look up potential hospitals and make sure they are members and have been doing a great job of impressing other clients and patients.

The best hospitals in Mexico that specialize in weight loss surgery procedures also work together with the best in luxury hotel facilities to make sure those staying over receive the best attention and service from the moment they arrive and throughout their stay. Often hospitals can also help arrange travel as well including flights and airport transfers in order to ensure your entire trip is a success and an enjoyable experience.

How much of a discount on prices is reasonable to expect from a high quality medical facility in Mexico offering weight loss procedures at the highest international standards? In general you can expect prices to be be around 50% of that in the US. In some cases as low as 30% and can even include hotel stay. A good example is comparing Lap Band surgery that could cost as much as $17,000 and even up to $30,000 in the US and some western European countries while Lap Band and Johnson & Johnson Band surgery can be found in Mexico in the top hospitals and performed by internationally trained expert doctors for as little as $6,300. Clearly any other options do not compare to the advantages to be had. Just imagine what you could do with the savings.

If you have been considering lap band, vertical sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass weight loss surgery it is worth giving some serious thought to crossing the border to Mexico for your procedure.

While many choose Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana for their health care for cost reasons, that is just one of the many benefits of medical tourism. In fact in 2009 alone almost 1 million individuals from the USA traveled to Mexico for medical attention. That is on top of the 1 million plus Americans who have already permanently relocated to sunny Mexico and rely on it´s health system for everyday needs.

It is true that there are huge cost advantages to weight loss surgery in Mexico. However that alone should not be your only motivation. In comparison to the cost of gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomies and lap band surgeries in the US you can expect to save between 30 to 70% by traveling south. That is big money that you can save for other things or emergencies later down the road. Even when you factor in the small cost of traveling to Mexico the savings are still huge.

These weight loss surgeries are not covered by most health insurance policies in the US. However some employers that have policies that do cover them have actually moved to insurance that specifically covers treatments in Mexico both for the cost savings and also because in many cases the standard and quality of service is higher which means better protection for employees as well.

Higher quality health care? Yes, absolutely. Health care in Mexico is considered comparable to the US according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However recent studies and surveys have shown that those who have actually made the trip and received medical attention in Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana are actually happier and rate their experiences better than compared with those who stayed in the US. Additionally many of the hospitals and medical facilities in Mexico are newer than those in the US and and have the latest technology and newest equipment. Even more importantly Mexican doctors and hospitals have been performing procedures like lap band surgery longer than their counter parts in the US meaning they are more experienced and knowledgeable. For those that are convinced that medical training is better in the US, you will be pleased to know that many of these hospitals have doctors that were trained in US medical schools as well as being participants in educational exchange programs with the most respected US medical institutions. If you have know that you want to travel abroad for medical treatment but just have not yet decided where, you should know that many other countries do not have any hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the non profit organization who ensures members are held to the highest international medical standards. Certainly when it comes to service there is no doubt that standards south of the border are often far superior. Referrals and great reputations are crucial to these hospital´s survival, so you can be sure that the facilities and staff aim to go far beyond your expectations in order to build solid businesses. This extends not only from initial consultations but through out your care and recovery.

Other factors that may come into play for some when weighing where to go for their weight loss surgery are safety and travel time. Certainly most of those in the US can be to any of the best Mexican hospitals within hours either by plane or car, many faster than traveling to the best hospitals in the United States. When it comes to safety, most concerns are unwarranted. Mexico may have a less than polished reputation for being crime free in the news. However the reality is that when you look and the real numbers, much of the US is far more dangerous.

So, when the US and Mexico is compared side-by-side for medical treatment and specifically for weight loss surgery, Mexico certainly takes the lead and checks all the boxes. You at least owe it to yourself to thoroughly weigh your options and make an informed decision. Definitely it would be a shame to stay home for your medical procedure and pay over twice the money for inferior service and care.

Medical tourism is a trend that has been growing by leaps and bounds for a number of years. Of course the main attraction for most seeking medical attention abroad has been cost. However, now patients traveling to Mexico for medical treatment are also doing so for the higher level of quality service and expertise, especially when it comes to weight loss surgeries. In fact Mexican hospitals and doctors have been performing lap band surgery for even longer than doctors in the United States. This is further evidenced by a report from Washington advocacy group (for health care issues), Families USA that showed that 90 percent of patients traveling to Mexico for medical treatment rated their experience as good or excellent, while only 80 percent of those who remained in the US for treatment gave the same rating.

When taking into consideration that the cost of medical treatment in Mexico averages 50% less than in the US, with prices often as low as one fifth, even when you add in travel expenses it is much wiser to cross the border for health care. This is especially true when it comes to medical procedures like lap band surgery, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypasses. Why anyone would want to stay in the US and and pay more for inferior service and less experienced doctors is a mystery.

These types of weight loss surgeries are normally not covered by US health insurance plans, however many US employers have been turning to health care plans that cover treatment in Mexico instead of the US to both save money and take better care of their employees. Last year it was reported that 1 million people from the US headed to places in Mexico like Monterrey, Tijuana and Mexicali for health care. Additionally another 1 million American retirees now reside south of the border and rely on Mexican hospitals for their everyday health needs. In fact many US doctors have given up the battle and have relocated to Mexico themselves in order to be able to compete.

Find out price of Lap Band Surgery in Mexico

However the best savings and doctors in Mexico for bariatric procedures are normally not found a the clinics that do the most advertising. Those unfortunately spend far too much in promoting themselves and eat up the savings which either results in higher costs, lower quality services or both. Instead look for Mexico based hospitals in Mexicali, Tijuana and Monterrey that are accredited by the Joint Commission International and participate in educational exchange programs with the US´s top medical facilities. These hospitals offer the best in world class service, along with the highest trained doctors, latest equipment and offer the biggest savings as most of their business is on referral basis not from spending millions on having to attract new clients each year.

Perhaps the only one factor that has deterred some from taking advantage of the great benefits of bariatric surgery south of the border has been safety concerns. Not with the medical services themselves but due to the country. However while the news media has enjoyed some extra stories from some small isolated incidents in the last couple years, when you look at the hard facts and statistics you will find that in general Mexico is much safer to travel to for health care than many areas of the United States. Certainly traveling to Mexico is much safer than other options like India. Which raises another interesting point. Those who are still under the misconception that health care may be better in the US , may be horrified to realize than many US hospitals now outsource the interpretation and reading of test results to doctors in places like India in order to cut costs. Scary but true.

So the bottom line seems to be that medical tourism to Mexico, while offering incredible discounts on health care services like weight loss surgery also has the superior advantages of more experienced surgeons, newer equipment, better personalized services and safety. It certainly seems like it is not a choice of going to Mexico for your medical needs, but simply which hospital to choose and how soon you can go.

It is certainly true that traveling to Mexico for weight loss surgery including lap band, vertical sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery has become extremely popular and makes up a bug portion of the hundreds of thousands that visit Mexico for health care each year. Of course a big part of this is the huge savings that can be found south of the border, but how much should you really expect to save, how safe is it to travel there, what are the hospitals really like and how well trained are the doctors?

Savings
Perhaps the biggest and most popular reason that many Americans and US residents choose Mexico for their weight loss surgeries. While prices vary in between hospitals and surgical centers you can expect to find prices between 30-70% of what you would expect to save in the US. There are now a number of small surgical centers in Mexico that advertise prominently in the US. However you will find that not only are the small centers not as well equipped as hospitals but they also spend so much on big advertising campaigns instead of word of mouth referrals that they have to sacrifice either on service, savings or the quality of staff that they employ. The best overall deals can normally be found in leading hospitals in Monterrey, Mexicali and Tijuana that are regarded as providing the best combination of cost, safety, modern facilities and highly trained doctors.

Safety
While there have been a few recent headlines that have aimed to shock with reports of violence along the US, Mexico border these need to be seen for what they really are and not to be confused with what you can really expect to experience during a visit to Mexico for weight loss surgery. Of course there are political motives behind most news headlines and it is certainly no coincidence that this comes at a time when many are pushing political agendas. Also bear in mind that the reported crimes that have been reported recently are between drug gangs and not aimed at medical tourists and of course that in reality there are many more deaths and murders in the United States each year than there are in Mexico. If you are riding your bicycle south across the border and plan to buy illegal drugs or rip off drug lords then yes, perhaps you should be worried. But if you are traveling to a world class hospital that prides it’s self on taking great care of it’s patients throughout their stay and protecting the lifeblood of their business clearly this is quite a different story. You should find that with a little common sense and not breaking any laws that your trip should pass uneventfully.

Hospitals
So what are hospitals in Mexico really like? For those traveling to Mexico for the first time you may be surprised to find that many Mexican hospitals are even far more attractive than most of those in the US. These high rise modern hospitals feature impressive architecture, comfortable rooms and state of the art technology along with the latest equipment and friendly and efficient staff. In fact after your visit to Tijuana, Monterrey or Mexicali for your weight loss procedure you may likely wonder why you ever put yourself through going to a hospital back home and will certainly make Mexico your first choice for any other elective procedures in the future. Mexico is indeed home to some of the newest and finest hospitals in the world that are actually a pleasure to visit and those staying overnight will find the best accommodations along with personal and attentive service. Many of these hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International, are affiliated with the top medical facilities and clinics in the world and are involved in education exchange programs with prestigious institutions like Harvard Medical School. Ready4aChange.com is the perfect place to find bariatric surgeries in Mexico.

Doctors
When it comes to the question of how good the doctors are here, you will be pleasantly surprised to find many of the world’s leading doctors that specialize in weight loss treatment practicing medicine here from Mexican doctors who have far more experience with weight loss surgery than US doctors to even American doctors who have relocated south of the border in order to be able to compete as well as enjoy the great quality of living.

It’s the U.S. – Mexico border, and even as politicians say more federal troops are needed to fight rising violence, government figures show it isn’t so dangerous after all. The top four big cities in America with the lowest rates of violent crime are all in border states: Austin, El Paso, Phoenix and San Diego, according to a new FBI report. And a U.S. Customs and Border Protection report shows that Border Patrol agents face far less danger than street cops in most U.S. cities.

The Customs and Border Protection study, obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request, show that 3 percent of Border Patrol agents and officers were assaulted last year, mostly when assailants threw rocks at them. That compares with 11 percent of police officers and sheriff’s deputies assaulted during the same period, usually with guns or knives. In addition, violent attacks against agents declined in 2009 along most of the U.S.-Mexican border for the first time in seven years.

“The border is safer now than it’s ever been,” said Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling. He said one factor is that with fewer jobs available amid the U.S. recession, illegal immigration has dropped. And, responding to security concerns after 9/11, the Border Patrol has doubled its number agents since 2004. Nonetheless, border lawmakers and governors say their region is under siege and needs more troops. In response to the concerns from the border states, Obama Pledged to send 1,200 National Guard troops to help and spend an extra $500 million on border security.

His one-time rival for the presidency, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said he should send at least 6,000 troops, which he said are needed because Arizona leads the nation in marijuana seizures, had 368 kidnappings in 2008, and has the highest property crime rates in the U.S. But violent crimes in counties along the Mexican border are among the lowest in the nation per capita, and they’ve dropped by more than 30 percent in the last two decades.

Governors along the border say improved crime rates don’t counter their concerns. In Texas, “we respond to threats based on rick, not occurrence,” said Gov. Rick Perry’s spokeswoman Katherine Ce signer. And there are exceptions to the trend: Assaults on agents in the Laredo region increased from 44 in 2008 to 118 in 2009, and they increased in the neighboring Rio Grandee Valley as well.

Concerns about danger come, in part, from Mexico, where raging cartel violence has taken 23,00 lives in three years, often within view of the U.S. Border. There’s frequent talk of the potential for that violence to spread across the border, but so far it hasn’t happened to a significant degree. Mexico security measrures