Vaccine Tourism: The Benefits of the Privileged
A COVID-19 vaccination distribution line in New York City. Source.
The act of traveling to other countries to receive medical treatment, known as “medical tourism,” has always been an option for those seeking medical care outside of their home country for various reasons. Whether due to the temptation of cheaper costs, or a specific treatment/procedure not being available in one’s home country, those privileged enough to travel internationally for medical procedures have always had the luxury to do so. While medical tourism is not an unfamiliar concept, the arrival and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States has caused a controversial, intra-national trend similar to medical tourism – “vaccine tourism.”
As the name suggests, vaccine tourism involves (typically wealthy) individuals traveling across country and state lines to get vaccines that they do not have access to at their home residence. With the allocation of first round COVID-19 vaccines going towards front-line essential workers and high-risk groups, individuals that fall outside of these categories will have to wait until vaccines become more readily available, something that could take months to see into fruition.
The federal government has given individual states the discretion to create and implement their own distribution plans, but it recently recommended that states allow those 65 and older to get vaccinated. With Florida following this suggestion, reports began to surface of wealthy foreigners (from countries such as Canada) and citizens of other states crossing into Florida’s state lines to get access to the vaccine. Additionally, allegations arose that MorseLife Health System gave COVID-19 vaccines intended for residents and staff to members of the Palm Beach Country Club and wealthy donors. While Florida initially did not have prohibitions for out-of-staters, in response to the gross influx of vaccine tourists, Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees released a public health advisory that required vaccination providers verifying Florida residency.
While states like Florida have tried to stop the momentum of vaccine tourism, other states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey have not condemned the action. New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s Department of Health have both released similar statements reassuring that people need not provide proof of residency to get access to the vaccine, allowing them to cross county or state lines. With the current scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine tourism increasing, the ethics of vaccine tourism is called into question.
By allowing wealthier individuals the opportunity to travel to remote locations for vaccine accessibility, medical care providers set a poor precedent. When privileged individuals are going to disenfranchised communities and “jumping the line” for the COVID-19 vaccine, taking away supplies from community members, what bigger display of privilege could governments possibly condone? The pandemic has already significantly widened the gap between the wealthy and the poor, and vaccine tourism highlights yet another clear disparity between the elite and poor populations of the world. Without any clear regulation about vaccine tourism – from federal or state governments – accessibility to vaccines will become yet another gross inequity the pandemic has unveiled.
The big problem lies within the “lack of consistent federal guidance” that has led to a “national patchwork of policies” and slow vaccine rollout from which vaccine tourism arised. With federal leadership being faulty under this situation, it has been left up to states and counties to figure it out. So, what can state and local governments do to stop vaccine tourism? One solution follows Florida’s current model, releasing a policy that required proof of residency in order to get vaccinated. Those allowed to get vaccines in Florida applies to full-time and part-time citizens, allowing seasonal residents the ability to get vaccinated still. This would discourage short term out-of-staters from coming into the state to get the vaccine, and reserve vaccine supplies for their intended communities. If other states follow suit, then accessibility to vaccines outside of one’s residence will be significantly lowered and hopefully the trend of vaccine tourism will stop.