marketing their services to foreigners is growing . South Africa , Argentina , Thailand , Brazil , Costa Rica , India and Singapore have become major players . Robert Painter , a travel writer from Albuquerque , New Mexico , journeyed last year to Argentina for dental surgeries -- and tango lessons : `` If I 'm going to be stuck somewhere for two weeks at a time , twice , Buenos Aires has got to be the best possible place , '' he says Painter 's procedures were organized by Plenitas , a medical-travel facilitator in Buenos Aires , which booked him at a hotel with a dance studio in the back . He was n't the only guest getting surgery : `` While I was there , there was a young lady who was also having implants -- though not of the dental type . '' Cost-cutting pros and cons Cosmetic , or elective , procedures are n't covered by insurance , so cost remains the motivating factor for most medical tourists . Surgeries in many countries cost half or even one-fifth what they would in the U.S. -- including airfare , hotel and excursions . `` A
-LRB- LifeWire -RRB- -- Colleen Hiltbrunner spent two years researching her dream trip to South Africa . But she was n't looking for the perfect safari lodge . She was hunting for the right cosmetic surgeon . When she told her family , it was n't an easy sell . `` South Africa ? You 're going to get some kind of witch doctor , '' she recalls her father saying . `` But I told him they perfected some of the first heart surgeries down there . To me , South Africa had the most reputable surgeons . '' Hiltbrunner , of Colorado Springs , Colorado , traveled to Johannesburg in 2004 for a face-lift , upper arm lift and eyelid surgery . And she and her husband -- who had n't taken a vacation in 20 years -- went on a luxury safari , included in the package by medical-travel agency Surgeon and Safari . `` Medical tourism '' may sound strange , but patients are discovering they can get some cosmetic surgeries abroad for less than the U.S. price . And many surgeries include sightseeing packages . The roster of countries in which hospitals and surgeons are