All done at a fraction of the cost back home.

醫療所需費用比國內便宜很多。

Medical tourism brings in billions of dollars a year worldwide.

全世界醫療旅遊每年帶來價值數十億的商機。

So, we wanted to know: What exactly is medical tourism?

所以，到底什麼是醫療旅遊？

Well, since the mid 20th century, healthcare costs have exploded in many developed countries, especially in the United States.

自二十世紀中期，已開發國家的醫療支出大幅增加，尤其是美國。

Some have blamed this on the closed system of procedure and drug pricing, which is not allowed for free market competition.

有些人將其歸咎於封閉的醫療與藥品價格制定制度，阻擋了自由市場競爭。

So when prices rise, they don't go back down.

所以當價格上升，就不會再回降。

Other factors, like exaggerated insurance billing, malpractice lawsuits, and infrequent but serious doctor visits contribute to increasing costs.

其他因素像是誇大保險計費、醫療疏失訴訟和少數但嚴重的醫師會診，都是增加醫療成本的原因。

According to a 2011 OECD report, a procedure like a heart bypass can cost more than $100,000 dollars in the US.

根據 2011 年經濟合作暨發展組織報告，在美國心臟繞道手術花費超過十萬美元。

However, that same procedure could run less than $4,000 dollars in Mexico.

然而，相同的手術在墨西哥花費卻不到四千美元。

For those without health insurance or high deductibles, medical tourism represents a viable and beneficial alternative.

對於那些沒有健康保險或是高自付額的人來說，醫療旅遊是可行又有益的替代方案。

For Americans, the most common medical tourism destinations include Thailand, India, Mexico, and Cuba.

美國人最常拜訪的醫療旅遊景點包括泰國、印度、墨西哥和古巴。

In many of these developing countries, medical tourism represents a lucrative and growing source of economic revenue.

在這些開發中國家，醫療旅遊帶來可觀，且持續增長的經濟收入。

Countries are actually competing for medical tourists.

各國甚至在醫療旅遊這方面相互競爭。

In Japan, the government is instituting new policies that will help increase the number of hospitals accepting foreign patients.

日本政府正推動新政策，增加可收治外國病患醫院的數量。

Worldwide, the industry is said to be worth up to $55 billion dollars.

全球醫療旅遊產業價值上看 550 億美元。

However, there are certain drawbacks.

然而，當然也有一些缺點。

The US Center for Disease Control has registered several safety concerns over higher rates of bacterial infections and diseases for medical tourists.

美國疾病管理中心已對醫療旅遊者細菌和疾病感染率較高這點提出了一些安全考量。

These can be attributed to less strict sanitation rules in other countries and and the presence of contagious diseases that are otherwise rare in the US.

這可能源於該國家缺少嚴格衛生法規，且存在美國相對罕見的傳染疾病。

In 2014, 19 American women, who traveled to the Dominican Republic for plastic surgery, contracted bacterial infections.

2014 年，19 位在多明尼哥接受整形手術的美國女性有細菌感染的情況。

Additionally, transplant tourism has become a highly controversial issue.

另外，移植手術旅遊成了高度爭議的問題。

Medical tourists can obtain organs and transplant operations without waiting in a long line, and for less money.

醫療旅遊者可以不用排隊，更快且花更少錢就拿到器官並接受手術。

But the World Health Organization says that the organs often come from vulnerable people.

但是世界健康組織聲明，那些器官很可能來自弱勢族群。

Most of the world has completely banned transplant tourism.

大部分的國家已經完全禁止移植手術旅遊。

However, organs can still be purchased on the black market.

但器官仍然可以在黑市裡買到。

Medical tourism also presents problems for locals who now face more competition for healthcare in their own country.

醫療旅遊也給當地人帶來了問題，醫療旅遊代表著他們必須和外來旅客爭搶本土醫療保健資源。

Wealthy outsiders can crowd out native citizens, and even raise the prices for certain procedures by increasing demand.

有錢的外國人排擠本土公民，手術價格甚至因為需求增加而遭到哄抬。

Healthcare providers, too, can be required to change their practices in order to accommodate and cater to foreigners.

醫療人員也被要求改變醫療作法，讓外國遊客感到「賓至如歸」。

A recent report on healthcare in developed countries ranked the US last in effectiveness and efficiency.

近期，一份已開發國家報告將美國排在醫療效率以及效能的末座。

This is despite the fact that the US spends more money on healthcare per person than any other country.

儘管事實上，美國的人均醫療花費比任何國家都來的更高。

Presently, the future of medical tourism is expected to remain profitable as experts predict billions of dollars in revenue growth for the coming years.

目前，醫療旅遊仍被預估是項可觀的收益。專家還預期，未來幾年醫療旅遊的收益仍會有數十億美元成長。

Another unusual type of tourism is birth tourism.

另一種特殊的觀光型態是生產旅遊。

To learn more about this controversial practice, watch this video.

想要了解更多這個爭議性議題，請觀看這部影片。

The law allowing citizenship by birth didn't exist prior to the passing of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

現今的屬地主義在 1868 年，也就是第十四次修正法案後才出現。

It was passed as a way to guarantee the citizenship to African Americans and their children, this was done in the wake of civil war and the evolution of slavery.

此屬地法案是在南北戰爭和奴隸制改變後才通過，是為了保障非裔美籍與其子女公民權。

Thank you for watching TestTube! And don't forget to like and subscribe for new videos every day!

謝謝觀看 Testube！不要忘記按讚並訂閱收看每天的新影片！