RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Unpacking the financial costs of “bariatric tourism” gone wrong: Who holds responsibility for costs to the Canadian health care system?
JF Canadian Journal of Surgery
JO CAN J SURG
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 369
OP 370
DO 10.1503/cjs.006016
VO 59
IS 6
A1 Jeremy C. Snyder
A1 Diego S. Silva
A1 Valorie A. Crooks
YR 2016
UL http://canjsurg.ca/content/59/6/369.abstract
AB Canadians are motivated to travel abroad for bariatric surgery owing to wait times for care and restrictions on access at home for various reasons. While such surgery abroad is typically paid for privately, if “bariatric tourists” experience complications or have other essential medical needs upon their return to Canada, these costs are borne by the publicly funded health system. In this commentary, we discuss why assigning responsibility for the costs of complications stemming from bariatric tourism is complicated and contextual.