Intersection of Star Culture in America and International Medical Tourism

Celebrity culture, health care, and travel attract attention in America’s media-saturated society. These worlds curiously intersect in the study of medical tourism. Although the US touts some of the finest and best-known medical facilities in the world, many jet-setting A-list celebrities, who can well afford the finest of health care, seek treatment far away from home, popularizing international sites, physicians, and procedures. These travelers, whose every move is chronicled by the media, both reflect and influence health care concerns in America. An analysis of these high-profile cases of celebrities with both life-threatening and non life-threatening conditions sheds light on the link between medical tourism and celebrity, showing how health care and entertainment intersect, and the American public responds.
The Intersection of Star Culture in America and International Medical Tourism: Celebrity Treatment argues that celebrity cases and media content drive awareness of medical tourism among Americans at a time when the medical system is under intense scrutiny. By popularizing international sites for treatment, procedures not available in the US, and different approaches to patient care, media narratives present options for health care, triggering dialogue on one of America’s most important human welfare issues.

Kathy Merlock Jackson, a professor of communication at Virginia Wesleyan University, teaches courses in media studies and children's culture. She is the author or editor of eleven books and former editor of The Journal of American Culture. She has served as past president of both the American Culture Association and the Popular Culture Association.

Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction: Going Abroad: Leaving on a Jet Plane for Hope, Health, and Holiday Part I: Seeking Treatment for Life-Threatening Illnesses: Cancer and AIDS Case Studies Chapter 1: Steve McQueen: Treating Mesothelioma in Mexico Chapter 2: Rock Hudson: AIDS Comes Out of the Closet Chapter 3: Farrah Fawcett: Killing "Terrorists" in the Black Forest Chapter 4: Steve Jobs: Creative Quests for a Cure Chapter 5: Karen Black: "Help Karen Beat Cancer" Part II: Seeking Treatment for Non-Life-Threatening Conditions: Sex Reassignment, Arthritis, Cosmetic Surgery, and Childbirth Case Studies Chapter 6: Christine Jorgensen: "She Went Abroad and Came Back a Broad" Chapter 7: Peyton Manning: Miracle Cures and a Little Bit of Voodoo Chapter 8: Pope John Paul II, Nick Nolte, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez: A Treatment from God Chapter 9: Suzanne Somers: Growing a Breast Like the Ones in Japan Chapter 10: Angelina Jolie: A Beautiful Body Travels the World Part III: Spreading the Word: Short Takes on Medical Tourism in Popular Media and its Celebrity Connections Chapter 11: 60 Minutes: Making Thailand's Bumrungrad International Hospital Famous Chapter 12: Sicko (2007): Michael Moore's Transatlantic Trek for Quality Health Care Chapter 13: Dallas Buyers Club (2013): The "Sexiest Man Alive" Is a Medical Tourist Conclusion: Coming Home: Social and Political Ramifications of Celebrity Medical Tourism Bibliography About the Authors