BackgroundRecently, there have been a large number of Americans flying to India for medical procedures. The practice of traveling abroad to undergo both elective and non-elective medical procedures is called medical tourism (Steklof 722). The number of Americans who traveled abroad to receive medical care increased from 500,000 in 2005 to 750,000 in 2007 (Steklof 724). Many of these medical tourists choose to travel abroad due to rising healthcare costs and the difficulty of obtaining healthcare in a timely manner in the United States (Maeghani 18). Americans who engage in medical tourism are likely uninsured or considered underinsured. The number of Americans without health insurance increased from 31 million in 1987 (Cortez 72) to 46 million in 2008 (Meghani 18). Uninsured Americans are not the only individuals interested in the practice of medical tourism. Many self-insurance companies and insurance companies have encouraged their employees and insured to engage in media tourism (Meghani 19). Surprisingly, state and local governments in the United States have also shown interest in offering the ability to perform noninvasive procedures abroad (Meghani 19). Research estimates that revenue will bring in $2 billion by 2012 from medical tourism (Shetty 671). The recent increase in revenue can be attributed to the neoliberal reform implemented in India in recent years. Neoliberalism is “a modern political-economic theory that favors free trade, privatization, minimal government intervention in business, and reduced government spending on social services (neoliberalism).” In 2007, the Apollo Hospital Group, a private entity, opened its first international branch for medical tourism in Che...... middle of paper ......f Medical Tourism." Developing World Bioethics ISSN ( 2011): 1-14. “Neoliberalism.” Dictionary.com Web, 6 March 2012. “Medical Tourism: Reverse Subsidy for the Elite.” booming in India, but at what cost?" World Report (2010): 671-672.Steklof, Cary D. "Medical Tourism and Legal Barriers to Recovery in Medical Malpractice Cases" University of Washington Global Studies Law Review (2011 ): 721-742.United Airlines. United Airlines Inc. Web. Varman, Rohit and Ram Manohar Vikas. “Growing Markets and Health in Crisis: An Investigation of Subaltern Health Consumption under Neoliberalism.” (2007): 162-172.