ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 Transnational travel as health insurance. Transnational-care, an informal form of health insurance for some people on the move, constitutes a growing manifestation of unequal mobilities. Chapter 1 first treats the nature and limitations of health care among tourists, visitors, students, and other travelers. Then, the chapter explores the rising popularity of transnational mobility specifically for health-driven reasons in the face of the main perceived shortcomings associated with exclusive in-country health care: availability, cost, and expertise. Principal Southern and Northern source places, patient motivations and popular treatments, and diverse approaches and outcomes are identified. Factors determining transnational access to elective care are analyzed in terms of social determinants and policy facilitators and constraints. The impact of medical outsourcing on population-health care in Southern-treatment countries is explored. The biosecurity implications associated with increasing medical tourism receive attention. Chapter 1 also treats the rise and migration impact of transnational-corporate health-care systems in emerging economies and E-health for the Global South. This chapter shows that, in most cases, transnational-medical travels offer a striking illustration of global disparities in health care.
