One-fifth of people enrolled in a health insurance plan are willing to travel outside of the U.S. for care, with 60% of them already having done so for dental treatment, according to a survey by eHealth.
The reason? The possibility of lower costs, according to 74% of those would-be patients who would travel internationally to get their dental care.
"Just like health insurance, there will often be out-of-pocket costs associated with extensive dental procedures," said Seth Teich, eHealth's senior vice president and general manager for individual and family plans, in a statement. "But when consumers take advantage of the preventive services, such as routine cleanings that their dental insurance covers, they can help maintain their dental health and potentially avoid thousands of dollars per year in costly treatments."
A total of 1,860 responses were tabulated in the voluntary survey of eHealth consumers who purchased Medicare plans or individual and family plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Respondents did not necessarily have dental coverage.
