With the rising costs of gas, food, and mortgage payments, it's no surprise that finding an affordable health insurance plan has become a bit like the search for the holy grail.

But as consumers seek to save money on health care and surgical procedures, medical tourism is enjoying a potentially dangerous boom.

At Kaiser's Daily Health Policy Report, the increase in medical tourism is linked to a loss of revenue for hospitals. Though some insurance agencies are actually promoting medical tourism as part of a more affordable health insurance plan, the impact on physicians and patients alike could be a bad one.

Doctor's and hospitals stand to lose billions of dollars, as medical procedures performed on Americans in different countries are predicted to jump 10 times over the next 10 years to nearly 16 million.

But there's another risk involved: the risk to the patient's health. While it might save money - even a lot of money - to opt for an affordable health insurance plan that doesn't cover surgical procedures, going abroad for those procedures means that you're sacrificing the quality and standards for medical care that are so important here.

And then there are the dangers of traveling after having surgery, the need for follow-up appointments, and more.

Certainly American citizens need more options when it comes to the procedures they need to have, and the amount those procedures should cost. But it's still important to safeguard your health yourself by making careful and fully informed medical decisions.