Isaias, an artist and designer living in Atlanta, had a few things in mind for his first trip to China. He knew he wanted to see the urban metropolis of Shanghai, as well as Chongqing, an instagrammable megacity with a cyberpunk aesthetic in China’s mountainous southwest.
But his main motivation for flying across the world wasn’t wanderlust. It was an effort to save thousands of dollars on a medical procedure not covered by his insurance at home.
He’s one of a growing number of Americans seeking cheaper medical treatment abroad, for everything from cancer to dental care, as healthcare costs at home hit record levels.
During a December checkup, a doctor told Isaias, 26, that he had an abnormal growth on his gallbladder. Though it was non-cancerous, he would need to have it surgically removed within a year, the doctor said.
In Atlanta, the out-of-pocket cost was close to $10,000, said Isaias, who requested that only his first name be used to discuss his personal medical history.
