More Americans are turning to Asia for affordable healthcare

Though medical tourism isn’t a new phenomenon, more and more United States citizens of late have been turning to Asia to obtain medical treatments and procedures. Though  South Korea and China are often the preferred destinations, some patients are opting for access to healthcare in the Philippines and Vietnam as well.

A CNN piece from this week told the example of a 26-year-old artist from Atlanta named Isaias, who was in need of gallbladder surgery. While the procedure in the US would have cost him US$10,000 (over S$12,900), in China, it would only cost a fifth of the price.

The trip, together with his visa, hospital appointments, and other aspects, was arranged by a medical tourism agency, and Isaias was able to do sightseeing in Shanghai and other places in China as well.

The medical tourism market across the globe is now estimated to be worth over US$100 billion and is growing at a steady pace. Patients are flocking to Asia for a variety of medical services, including cancer therapies, dental treatments, and cosmetic surgery, all at much lower prices.

South Korea is, however, Asia’s medical tourism hub. The country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said in late April that in 2025, South Korea had over two million foreigners as patients, most of whom flew in from China, followed by Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Thailand. The US alone accounted for 173,000 patients, up by a whopping 70.4% from 2024.

However, there is a strong chance that China may overtake South Korea. Since 2022, there has been a steep increase in the number of medical tourists, and in 2025, it saw 1.28 million foreign patients. What China has in its favour is that it offers lower prices and shorter waiting times, along with improving medical technology and easier visa policies.

For example, one report said that a heart examination that costs from US$10,000 to US$20,000 without insurance in the US only costs around US$75 in China.

The operations director of a Shanghai agency connecting international patients to advanced cancer therapies in China, Victor Cao, was quoted in Bloomberg last month as saying, “There are two reasons why a patient travels for medical treatments: availability of advanced treatments and price. Chinese people used to travel overseas for treatments that were not available at home, but now the tables have turned.” /TISG

Read also: Medical tourism in Asia and the Pacific: A game-changer for global travel and economic growth