As members of Congress continue to square off about the best path to reforming the nation’s health care system, they may want to consider some of the latest signs that working Americans are so frustrated with the rising cost of serious medical procedures that they’re willing to seek care in other countries.

The medical tourism movement is gaining traction, regardless of the outcome of this debate on Capitol Hill, as evidenced by new research and a sales milestone involving a leading provider of medical travel services to surgical centers of excellence at significantly lower prices than domestic care.

More than 85% of people now say they’d consider having surgery overseas, whereas the number plummets to 33% when respondents to a recent AllMedicalTourism.com survey were asked what their answer would have been five years ago. Among the factors researchers cited to explain the change of heart: cheaper airline tickets, better global communications and rapidly rising standards of health care worldwide.

Rob Passmore, CEO of AllMedicalTourism.com, noted an average savings of 55% and says “a hip replacement in a JCI accredited hospital in, say, India could cost $7,000 compared to $45,000 in the U.S.” He cited a Deloitte report suggesting that the number of U.S. medical tourists is expected to soar to 10 million next year from 1.5 million in 2008. AllMedicalTourism.com, which works with more than 120 medical providers in 38 countries, compares pricing and reputation information across 10 procedural areas including cosmetic, dental, weight loss and orthopedic.

Another promising indicator for the medical tourism market, whose services can be made available on a voluntary benefits basis, is that BridgeHealth Medical, Inc. reached a major benchmark by serving more than 1 million lives following steady corporate growth since its founding in 2007. The company’s medical tourists receive worldwide access to quality accredited hospitals and qualified physicians through their employers, insurance carriers, third-party administrators, program administrators and limited benefit plans.