Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Why Millions of Americans Are Taking Deadly Risks for Medical Tourism<!-- wp:html --><p>Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast</p> <p>Last weekend, <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/two-americans-dead-after-kidnapping-in-mexican-border-town-officials-say">four Americans were ambushed and shot at by gunmen</a> after they drove a minivan across the border into Northeastern Mexico. Two of the Americans were killed during the shootings, while the other two were kidnapped for days until law enforcement were able to locate and rescue the victims from a house in the rural area of Tamaulipas.</p> <p>Later reports suggested the group were <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/americans-kidnapped-in-matamoros-were-wrong-targets-report">victims of mistaken identity</a>—and were erroneously targeted by the gunmen who mistook them for other people.</p> <p>However, the Americans were also victims of the dark side of medical tourism—the practice of traveling abroad in order to receive medical treatments that they might not otherwise be able to obtain in the U.S. due to financial or regulatory constraints.</p> <p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-mexico-kidnappings-highlight-the-deadly-risks-in-medical-tourism?source=articles&via=rss">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p> <p>Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/tips">here</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast

Last weekend, four Americans were ambushed and shot at by gunmen after they drove a minivan across the border into Northeastern Mexico. Two of the Americans were killed during the shootings, while the other two were kidnapped for days until law enforcement were able to locate and rescue the victims from a house in the rural area of Tamaulipas.

Later reports suggested the group were victims of mistaken identity—and were erroneously targeted by the gunmen who mistook them for other people.

However, the Americans were also victims of the dark side of medical tourism—the practice of traveling abroad in order to receive medical treatments that they might not otherwise be able to obtain in the U.S. due to financial or regulatory constraints.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here

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