據(jù)BBC報道，出國看病的美國人每年都在增加，2000年，有29.5萬美國人出國看病，而到了2017年，人數(shù)漲到了42.2萬，醫(yī)療旅游（medical tourism）就這么火起來了。
來自美國密西西比的Melissa就是美國出國看病大軍的一員，今年早些時候，她去哥斯達(dá)黎加一家私立醫(yī)院做了膝關(guān)節(jié)置換手術(shù)，現(xiàn)在病情正在恢復(fù)當(dāng)中。
“出國做這么大的手術(shù)，我本來也是很擔(dān)心的” (Via BBC)
雖然之前對于出國看病有點疑慮，但對于此行的經(jīng)歷還是很滿意：
She praises all the staff that treated her.
她表揚了醫(yī)院里照顧她的員工。
"I had a meltdown one day [at the hospital] because of the pain, and the feeling of helplessness," she says. "But the nurses and techs were so sweet and helped to calm me."
“有一天，(在醫(yī)院里)我因為疼痛和無助感而感到沮喪，”她說。 “但護(hù)士和技術(shù)人員非常好心，幫助我平靜下來。”
Via BBC
而且更重要的是，出去這趟還是給她省了不少錢:
She says that her knee operation in Clinica Biblica, Costa Rica's largest private hospital, cost $12,200 (￡9,200), compared with around $44,000 in the US.
Melissa說,她在哥斯達(dá)黎加最大的私立醫(yī)院Clinica Biblicaz做了膝蓋手術(shù)，費用為12200美元（約81991人民幣），而如果在美國做的話，花費約為44000美元（約295706人民幣）。
Via BBC
這么看來，價格上的差距可以說是很大了。所以，像Melissa這樣選擇出國看病，背后的原因也是很無奈：
While many Americans do so because theydon't have health insurance- official figures show that more than 28 million do not - others like Melissa go overseas because their basic cover means that they have to pay a sizeable chunk of any treatment bill.
許多美國人選擇出國看病是因為他們沒有醫(yī)療保險。官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示，美國有超過2800萬人沒有醫(yī)療保險，而其他像Melissa這樣的人，就算有保險，看任何病都必須自己支付相當(dāng)大一部分治療費用。
Via BBC
圖 Via Getty Images
而據(jù)The Guardian2018年的一份報道，美國的醫(yī)療可以說是世界上最貴的：
高物價讓美國醫(yī)療成為世界最貴 (Via The Guardian)
The United States spends twice as much on healthcare as 10 other high-income nations, driven by the high price of everything from prescription drugs to doctors’ salaries, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.
《美國醫(yī)學(xué)協(xié)會雜志》的一項新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，美國在醫(yī)療保健方面的花費是其他10個高收入國家的兩倍，造成這一現(xiàn)象的原因包括昂貴的處方藥以及醫(yī)生工資等。
Via The Guardian
出于這種原因，出國看病的美國人就越來越多：
人們正在放棄美國醫(yī)療，飛去其他國家尋求付得起的醫(yī)療服務(wù) (Via thisisinsider.com)
The American healthcare system is known for being notoriously expensive. It doesn't help that, according to data collected in 2017 by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index,11.3% of Americans are not able to afford health insurance.
眾所周知，美國醫(yī)療價格非常昂貴。更無奈的是，根據(jù)蓋洛普健康幸福指數(shù) 2017年收集的數(shù)據(jù)，11.3％的美國人買不起醫(yī)療保險。
Even those who do have health insurance often find themselvesstruggling to pay sky-high medical fees. For example, a Reddit user went viral in 2013 when he posted a photo of the hospital bill he received when he was treated for appendicitis. The total charges came to over $55,000, and even with health insurance, he had to pay over $11,000 out of pocket.
即使是有醫(yī)療保險的人也經(jīng)常發(fā)現(xiàn)自己付不起高昂的醫(yī)療費用。比如，2013年，一名Reddit用戶在網(wǎng)上發(fā)布了自己接受闌尾炎治療時收到的醫(yī)院賬單照片，迅速火遍網(wǎng)絡(luò)。賬單總費用超過55000美元，就算是有醫(yī)療保險，他也不得不自己支付11000多美元的費用。
Via thisisinsider.com
去年6月，美國加利福尼亞一個博主Alyne Tamir還在網(wǎng)上發(fā)布了一條視頻，講述自己去國外看病的經(jīng)歷：
圖 Via Dear Alyne/Facebook
In the video, Tamir explained it would have cost $1,500 to fix her tooth in the US. Instead, she had her root canal done in Egypt.
視頻中，Tamir解釋說，在美國看牙會花費1500美元。于是，她就去埃及做了根管治療。
"A nice hotel in Egypt costs around $70 a night," she told INSIDER. "And the actual root canal was only $120. This was at a fancy dentist too; you can definitely get it for way cheaper somewhere else in Egypt."
在埃及，住一家不錯的酒店每晚花費約70美元，”她告訴INSIDER。 “做根管只需要120美元，而且還是一個比較貴的牙醫(yī)。在埃及，你也完全可以找到其他更便宜的價格。”
Via VCG
而且據(jù)報道，美國大多數(shù)保險公司的保險項目不包含某些牙科項目以及整容，其國內(nèi)的這些醫(yī)療項目有又非常貴，就有人選擇去國外做。
In the US, for example, the average cost of LASIK eye surgery is $2,088 per eye. Ragusa, however, told INSIDER that she received LASIK in South Korea and paid a total of $1,400 — including all of the check-ups before and after the surgery, the surgery itself on both eyes, the medicine, and all future care for life.
例如，在美國，視力激光手術(shù)的平均成本為每只眼睛2088美元。然而，Ragusa告訴INSIDER，她在韓國做的激光手術(shù)只花了1400美元，其中包括手術(shù)前后的所有檢查，雙眼手術(shù)，藥物以及終生護(hù)理費用。
Via thisisinsider.com
另外，還有些患慢性疾病、需要進(jìn)行長期治療的美國人也會選擇去國外看病，甚至還有人因為國內(nèi)生孩子費用太高，為了省錢去國外生孩子。
各國平均生育費用(紅色為順產(chǎn)費用，橘色為剖腹產(chǎn)費用)
在美國生孩子比在其他國家花費更高 (圖 Via the Guardian)
實際上，不止美國人，其他國家的人也在選擇出國看病，比如說英國人。雖然英國人有National Health Service（英國國家健康體系）這樣的公費醫(yī)療體系保障，但是排隊的時間也不算短，而且據(jù)報道，NHS系統(tǒng)下，也存在牙科醫(yī)生數(shù)量不足這類問題，整容這類的手術(shù)不在免費醫(yī)療范圍內(nèi)。
Medigo, a German-based medical travel company says that queries from UK residentsjumped 53%last year. Official figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics also show that a rising number of people are going abroad for treatment.
一家德國的醫(yī)療旅游公司Medigo表示，來自英國居民的咨詢量去年暴漲53%。英國國家統(tǒng)計局的官方數(shù)據(jù)也顯示，越來越多的人出國接受治療。
Via BBC
一位叫Amanda Wells的英國人就去波蘭做了一場手術(shù)：
The 46-year-old travelled to Poland last year to have a painful bunion removed from her left foot, because she didn't want towait the nine monthsthat her GP estimated it would take her to get the operation on the NHS.
46歲的Amanda Wells去年去波蘭做了手術(shù)，治療左腳的拇趾囊腫，因為她的醫(yī)生估計她需要等九個月才能上公費醫(yī)療的手術(shù)臺，她不想再等了。
She says she was able to get the work done in Poland for ￡3,000, half the amount she was quoted by a private surgeon in the UK.
她說她在波蘭做手術(shù)的花了3000英鎊，但是在英國，這只是一位私人外科醫(yī)生手術(shù)費用的一半。
Via BBC
Amanda Wells (圖Via BBC)
這就推動了醫(yī)療旅游業(yè)的發(fā)展。
Patients Beyond Borders, a publisher of guidebooks for "medical tourists" estimates that more than 20 million people will travel to another country for medical treatment this year,up 25% from 16 million last year.
據(jù)一家做“醫(yī)療游客”指南的出版商Patients Beyond Borders估計，今年，有2000萬人會去其他國家看病，相比去年的160萬上漲25%。
Meanwhile, a 2017 report by payments giant Visa estimated that the medical tourism industry was worth more than $100bn a year, and continuing to grow in value by quarter every year.
同時，支付巨頭Visa2017年的一份調(diào)查估計，每年，醫(yī)療旅游產(chǎn)業(yè)產(chǎn)值超過1000億美元，
Via BBC
不過，也有專家提醒出國看病的人注意，回國之后可能會發(fā)生感染，或者涉及一些后續(xù)治療，也可能是一筆很大的費用。就算在國內(nèi)有保險，保險也不一定會進(jìn)行賠付，反而會花更多錢。
你怎么看待出國看病？歡迎在評論里留言。
文：BBC, The Guardian, thisisinsider.com
整合：Sasa
圖：BBC, The Guardian, thisisinsider.com, Getty Images, VCG, 網(wǎng)絡(luò)
情景對話原文
A：It seems the department still has some money left in the budget. Do you have any suggestions how to use it before the budget is renewed?
A：看來我們部門的預(yù)算還有結(jié)余,趁現(xiàn)在還沒有重新預(yù)算,搞點活動吧,你有什么建議?
B：What about renting a restaurant and treating the empployees to a nice dinner?
B：我們租個餐館,請大伙好好吃一頓吧.
A：But we've done that many times. We want something fresh this time.
A：我們以前已經(jīng)吃過很多次了,這次來點新花樣.
B：Okay, let me think. What about a party-and-movie night? We can rearrange our reference room, invite a band to play some music, order in some food and watch a movie later.
B：好吧,讓我想想.來個聚會---電影之夜吧.我們可以裝飾一下會議廳,請個樂隊演奏音樂,點一些吃的,然后再看個電影.
A：Sounds like a good idea, but a band sounds too expensive.
A：想法不錯,但是請個樂隊太貴了.
B：Well, we can ask people to make small contributions.
B：那我們可以讓大家再湊點錢.
A：I don' t think so. I don't think people are going to like it if they have to pay to come. But we certainly can cut costs in other ways, such as make the party BYOB.
A：不好吧,要是花錢來,大家可能就沒興趣了.不過可以換個地方來節(jié)約開支,比如聚會BYOB.
B：BYOB? What's that?
B：BYOB?什么意思?
A：Bring your own beverage. We can provide food, but people have to bring their own drinks.
A：自帶飲料啊.我們來提供食物,但是大家要自己帶喝的.
B：So we're just going to have a party where they bring their own drinks and we just give them some snacks? I don't know how well that will go over.
B：這樣就只給大家食物,飲料還要自己帶?我不知道大家會怎么想.
A：Maybe you have a point. How about having a party on a Friday afternoon? We'll stop early, order some pizza, and serve drinks. There'll be music but no band. Having the party in the office will make it cheaper and because it's the end of the week there won't be much work.
A：也許你有道理,要不我們周五下午聚會吧?我們早點下班,點點兒披薩餅,準(zhǔn)備酒水飲料.我們不請樂隊,自己放音樂,我們就在辦公室里聚,這樣還能便宜些,反正周末的工作量也不會很大.
B：Oh, that sounds like fun!
B：哦,這聽起來很有意思啊!
單詞辨析1、budget
n. 預(yù)算;預(yù)算案;預(yù)算撥款;一束
vt.& vi. 把…編入預(yù)算;謹(jǐn)慎花錢
adj. 價格低廉的;花錢少的;收費合理的;便宜的
vt. 在預(yù)算中撥款給;按預(yù)算撥（款）;按預(yù)算來計劃（或安排）;規(guī)劃
vi. 做安排(for)
2、renewed
adj. 更新的;重建的;復(fù)興的;重申的
v. （使）復(fù)原， （使）更新，賦予新的生命和活力( renew的過去式和過去分詞 );重新開始;繼續(xù);補充
3、rearrange
vt. 重新排列；重新整理
4、contributions
n. 貢獻(xiàn)( contribution的名詞復(fù)數(shù) );捐贈;捐助物;（書、雜志、廣播、討論等部份內(nèi)容的）一則