ATLANTA, Georgia--After self-employed Georgia travel agent Ann Lombardi heard the $6,500 out-of-pocket price tag for the cataract surgery she needed, she sought the advice of a physician friend in Germany. A week later Lombardi was back home following a successful operation by a well-known Frankfurt eye surgeon. Total cost for her procedure? About $1,000. "I used frequent flier points for my plane ticket and stayed in a bed and breakfast near the clinic," explains Lombardi.

Ann Lombardi and long-time corporate businessman Tim Vicknair have co-founded European Medical Tourist, a consulting service which arranges affordable medical care in western Europe for cost-conscious Americans. "E.M.T." sets up consultations in Europe with English-speaking physicians who then perform elective or non-elective medical procedures, from bypass surgery and knee replacements to dental and plastic surgery at select hospitals and clinics. Germany and Belgium have been top draws for budget-minded Americans seeking medical treatment across the pond.

"As a businesswoman wanting to lower my own medical expenses, I think this service is long overdue," says Ms. Lombardi. Tim Vicknair agrees. "There is no need to be burdened by the high cost of self-pay medical treatment in the U.S.A. when patients can save from 50% to 80% for quality, state-of-the-art procedures in western Europe. HSA providers now also have a better choice."

SOURCE: European Medical Tourist

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