Health knows no borders.
Free Agents
Americans are unhappy with health insurance, and it’s getting worse.
Since last year, ACA deductibles spiked by an average of $1K, and 20% were reportedly disenrolled for failing to pay premiums. Healthy 18–34-year-olds are opting out, while others are downgrading plans.
Unsurprisingly, 84% are dissatisfied with the cost of US healthcare. Whether to evade insurance or seek better outcomes, more Americans are traveling abroad for care.
No Boundaries
An $85B market, medical tourism is growing, fueled by TikTok testimonials and social proof.
From luxury regenerative medicine and aesthetic surgeries to life-changing orthopedics, oncology, and fertility care, consumers are lured by 40–80% lower costs and no waits.
Competing for patients, China, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, and Malaysia set national initiatives to boost industry revenue, pairing comprehensive services with cultural excursions.
Some clinics—like Turkey’s Rememore—offer concierge travel support, but the ecosystem remains fragmented. Filling gaps, Patients Beyond Borders is developing an AI-driven guide curated by condition, destination, and budget.
Fringe Medicine
Beyond affordability, international hubs promise patients access to experimental therapies.
Right to try. Tucked in controversial self-governing startup society Próspera, GARM Clinic Honduras administered a novel gene therapy to Bryan Johnson as part of unregulated clinical trials.
Evading regulatory lag, China’s Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone aims to be a futuristic destination for treatments not yet approved elsewhere.
In the Bahamas, Physical Longevity, Cellcolabs, and Live Well Clinic created a haven for US doctors and patients to complete advanced stem cell therapies unallowed stateside.
An open secret in pro sports, Kobe Bryant, A-Rod, Peyton Manning, and countless others have traveled to Germany for pain-relieving Regenokine treatments — still unapproved by the FDA.
Regularly rejuvenating, 49ers stars George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk proselytize Panama’s Stem Cell Institute for athletes and normies alike.
Takeaway: From luxury clinics to budget workarounds, healthcare is becoming a global free market — meaning overseas experiences will soon alter domestic expectations.
