MEDICAL: Dental tourism

HOWARD ASCHWALD'S wife and mother had the same reaction earlier this year when he told them he was thinking of traveling to India to have laser eye surgery performed. "Their response was, 'You're going to India and having somebody work on your eyes. Oh my God!'" said Aschwald, a Belvedere investment manager. "I was concerned the way his mother was concerned," said his wife, Michelle Aschwald. "He had to call his mother after the surgery was over." ...

Have you ever had a patient walk into your office and ask for a referral for a dentist in another country? Have you seen patients with foreign-made and placed crowns or other dental work? According to many consumer publications, such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel, among others, Americans are increasingly crossing the borders in search of low-cost dental care...

Google the term "dental tourism" and the vaunted Internet search engine serves up nearly 9.4 million listings, most of them links to other Web sites that offer a dizzying array of options for dental patients willing to cross borders or even oceans in pursuit of cut-rate dental care...

Dental health benefit plans vary widely. You should know how your plan is designed, since this can significantly affect the plan’s coverage and your out-of-pocket expense. Although the individual features of plans may differ, the most common designs can be grouped into the following categories ...