Nose jobs in Korea and dentistry in Bangkok: Medical tourism is luring Americans abroad

• As healthcare costs rise in the US, more Americans are seeking cheaper options overseas.
• Medical tourism in Asia and the Middle East is popular for cosmetic procedures and preventive care.
• Travelers told Business Insider how they navigate care abroad — and some don't plan to move back.

Jordynn Ison dreams about Bangkok's sunshine, street food, and affordable dental work.

The 27-year-old calls Ohio home and has been solo traveling for the past few years. She almost always schedules doctors' visits during her overseas vacations to destinations like Bali, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and more. It's cheaper that way.

"It's just so convenient and so easy and so affordable," she said, adding that her recent dental crown procedure in Thailand cost about $500, roughly half of the average US price. "It surprises me that more people don't do it."

The medical tourism industry is booming. To escape high hospital prices and insurance headaches, Americans are folding check-ups into their vacation itineraries. Some countries, like Turkey and Mexico, are even marketing themselves directly to US patients. People travel for a range of services, including cosmetic surgeries, reproductive procedures like IVF, and cancer care.

The US doesn't comprehensively track this phenomenon, but the Centers for Disease Control estimates that millions of Americans seek healthcare abroad every year. And the market is growing: International health insurance is expected to grow from nearly $32 billion in 2025 to $40 billion in 2030, with North Americans accounting for the largest share. There's a flood of posts tagged #medicaltourism on both TikTok and Instagram, some with hundreds of thousands of views. Business Insider has heard from dozens of people who have bundled scans with sightseeing — and interest spans from Gen Zers to baby boomers.

"In Asia, it's way cheaper, the quality of care is always good, and there are so many options to choose from," Ison said. "Whereas when you book things in the US, not only do you pay more money for it — even when you have insurance — but also it can take months to get in."

'Everything's going to be cheaper'

Charlene Wiyarand, 31, had no doubts about booking her rhinoplasty appointment abroad. She has long split her life between the US and Asia: She was born in Boston, grew up in Thailand, and has been a California resident for the past few years.

When it came time to update her nose job recently, she and her fiancé traveled to South Korea, where Wiyarand said she could get the procedure for $13,000 out of pocket, instead of the roughly $30,000 going price in Beverly Hills. She would rather use that extra money for household expenses, she said.

"When we're in Asia, we know everything's going to be cheaper anyway," Wiyarand said. "I feel very comfortable going to hospital and just paying everything up front."

She works for a pharmaceutical company in California and has an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. But she still feels it's cheaper to book out-of-pocket care while traveling than to pay co-pays and fees in the US. Besides a rhinoplasty, Wiyarand said she has gotten preventive scans and skin treatments in places like Thailand.

As for Ison, she left her full-time nursing job a year and a half ago to split time between temporary nursing positions in Ohio and travel influencing. She no longer qualifies for an employer-sponsored insurance plan at home, so she enrolled in an international plan — and now sees the doctor almost exclusively on trips.

She pays about $50 a month for an international insurance plan that covers general care in 180 countries. That plan helps offset the costs of bigger scans or procedures, she said, but sometimes she can find care so cheap she doesn't submit it to insurance at all. Bloodwork and dental cleanings in Southeast Asia typically cost her about $30 total.

For now, both Wiyarand and Ison plan to continue living in the US and getting some primary care appointments near home. But foreign hospitals seem like an affordable option for larger procedures and preventive scans. Wiyarand hopes to travel abroad for a colonoscopy soon.

"I did have insurance in the US, but it was harder for me to get appointments," Ison said, adding, "Not only that, but with insurance, you have to meet a certain minimum amount before insurance really starts kicking in for medical things."

'I wasn't going to spend my money on hospitals'

Some Americans are so enticed by low healthcare costs that they're considering permanent relocation. Cara West, 34, is beginning to settle down in Greece with her husband and toddler, and she doubts they'll ever move back to Texas. Cheaper medicine and cost of living are driving the decision.

West and her husband began living overseas shortly after their daughter was born in 2022. They were still paying off expensive labor and delivery bills and decided to try living in Portugal for a few months. Since then, the couple has traveled around Europe, Asia, and the Mediterranean. Last year, they even flew to Turkey for primary care appointments.

"There's this fear as an American because you know that medicine is so expensive and it's confusing," said West, who pays $657 a month for international health insurance for her family, which she said is less than her previous US employer plan. "I think that's been the biggest eye opener, this feeling of relief."

When Business Insider spoke to retirees Akaisha and Billy Kaderli last spring, they shared their experience pursuing breast cancer treatment in Mexico, Vietnam, and Thailand. The couple paid $18,807 out of pocket for Akaisha's diagnosis and surgery instead of going through Medicare Advantage in the US. It wasn't cheap, but it allowed them to largely preserve their retirement nest egg. They don't plan to move back to the States.

"We've had a great life," said Akaisha, who is in her early 70s. "I'm not looking to die, but I wasn't going to spend my money on hospitals and drugs."

Healthcare abroad isn't always subject to the same accreditation standards or staff training as American hospitals, and it carries risks, just like any medical procedure. The people Business Insider interviewed said they did careful research — reading reviews and taking informational phone calls with clinics — before undergoing medical care in another country. Many of them were avid travelers already, meaning that buying plane tickets or hotel stays to see a doctor wasn't an additional cost barrier.

But their experiences underscore a larger truth millions of Americans can relate to: Skyrocketing healthcare costs are becoming unsustainable for household budgets. Medical tourism is offering some travelers more bang for their buck.

"I wish people would realize how much easier it really is," Ison said. "I think some people get scared because they have it in their heads that if they don't speak the language and they're in another country, that it can't be good care. Honestly, my experience is the exact opposite."