Seattleite Torrey Russell saved $8,000 by going to Tijuana, Mexico for reconstructive dental surgery.  His is one more example of why it pays to shop globally for medical procedures. 

Russell, a sales and marketing executive, is no stranger to traveling abroad for medical procedures.  He researched his choice of dentist the same way he found the right doctor in India for his hip surgery.  He chose Mexico for his dental surgery because "it's so easy and convenient," said Russell. 

"I had full teeth replacement along the front six teeth of my mouth and a root canal," said Russell.  "I had my teeth straightened out and properly aligned, with real post and beam construction.  It's the real thing, not just some big plate.  And they don't look like Chiclets,   They have the right density and coloration," he said. 

"It was less than a couple thousand for the whole thing; both dental procedures, the travel, the accommodations; everything," said Russell, "It would have been 10,000 for the procedures alone here in the U.S."  My local dentist, a wonderful man, quoted me $1,800 a tooth which was very expensive for me as a self-employed individual.

Hear the podcast for the details on how Russell did his research and who he chose for his doctor.  Go to Traveling4Health.com to find the doctor's contact information and see a map of the dentist office.  Just click on "Find Foreign Doctors and Medical Vacation Destinations" and type "Tijuana" in the quick search box. 

$80,000 for hip surgery alone, in the U.S. or $45,000 for hip surgery abroad and including travel, food & housing for an interesting trip is a good example of why Americans should consider shopping around for medical procedures abroad. 

Seattleite Torrey Russell, a sales and marketing executive, reports on his experience getting hip surgery in India, and details the steps he took to research and choose the doctor and facility.

Too many people are working extra years just to cover the cost of limited medical benefits � and paying the price with even poorer health.

 It might pay to shop around locally and globally.  And thatâ��s what this episode is about, because shopping globally pays big dividends.

 For example, I went to Mexico and got four crowns â�� porcelain crowns â�� done for $560.  I had a lovely vacation; I visited with locals and other traveling Americans and Canadians, for that matter, for the price my friend paid in the States for one bridge!  I had a great time, I took care of my teeth, and she stayed at home in the cold.

 So I came home and cancelled my dental insurance.  And I transferred that amount of money that I would ordinarily include in any kind of a Medicare, Medi-gap, or just traditional insurance plan into my vacation fund.

A patient reports on his experience and how he chose the doctor and facility.

â��The interesting part is that as Americans we tend to believe that the best medical care is only here in the U.S., and the funny thing is when you go to an American hospital today more than likely you'll find either an Asian or somebody from India taking care of you, in large part.  So, itâ��s funny that we don't have that thought that they would at home have the same level of ability in Asia, or whatever, which is simply not true. 

In fact in Asia I looked at a number of locations both in Thailand and India, and they use a certification which American hospitals cannot even achieve, which is called an ISO rating.   ISO is a standard that the Europeans use, and of course theyâ��ve been traveling to India and Asia for many, many years for medical help and so their hospitals are even rated more highly; that would be for infections and for loss of life after the surgery or other complications and so forth . . .â�?

Listen to part two of the live interview and see a list of the process Russell used to determine which doctor and hospital suited his needs best.