Destinations: Mexico, Panama, India
Estimated savings: $10,000 to $12,500
Gastric bypass, a surgery to shrink the stomach, is less than half the cost abroad according to the Medical Tourism Association. Bariatric procedures, or weight-loss surgery, designed to help patients surgically lose weight are one of the top reasons patients are getting passports.
"It's the No. 1 procedure across our industry because it's frequently not covered by U.S. insurance," says Kuzin of MedVacation. "(MedVacation) doesn't offer a bariatrics package because there are too many complications."
Like angioplasty patients, those seeking bariatric procedures should invest in complications insurance and investigate facilities accredited by U.S. health organizations and the International Society for Quality in Health Care, an international quality-control nonprofit agency in Dublin.
"It all comes down to how well you research these firms," says Kuzin. After all, your life depends on it.