Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

two questions:

- where do you go, and why?

- how do you get your US insurance to cover/work with providers outside the US? does it just automatically work or…?



I mostly go to expat/tourist-focused high-end clinics in Asia (there are a bunch of options; mostly depends on which country you're going to be in -- Thailand, Singapore, Japan are particularly strong). You can get a really comprehensive physical (cardiac calcium, exercise stress test, imaging, comprehensive blood panels, multiple doctors/specialists, etc. for <$1k -- something comparable in the US would be $5-10k (e.g. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/florida/departments/executive...). I travel enough for work that I can just go a few days before/after a meeting or conference, so no incremental cost (maybe an extra day or two of hotel).

I do carry Blue Cross/Blue Shield PR coverage ("PPO Gold", $230/mo), although it doesn't cover anything outside of PR except for emergency care. I should probably get a secondary insurance plan (which might include full coverage outside the US, or might even include shorter visits to the US as well), but for now I'm comfortable self-insuring medical costs, particularly since I think I could get insurance negotiated rates in the US even if they're paid out of pocket.

Better quality, lower cost, than anything I've found in the US. I live in Puerto Rico, which has particularly bad medical care; if I lived in Boston or SFBA I'd possibly have a local doctor, but I haven't found anyone in PR, except for expat friends who are neurorads/etc., who is a competent doctor. "Have a pain? Get on a plane" is the plan, and I have medical evacuation insurance, an ALS bag in my house, etc. for that.

The other upside is my records remain under my control; they don't get put into some weird insurer/employer accessible system protected only by laws. I can request/receive raw files and keep them myself.

(So far, I don't really have any serious or chronic conditions besides being overweight and slightly high blood pressure, but if I had a screening discover cancer or something, I'd want to have full flexibility on how to proceed with that.)

(Relatedly, I've deferred getting a dental implant for a failed root canal since right before Covid, so currently looking for the best dental implant medical tourism option -- Mexico, Colombia, and Asia are all pretty solid. It's 3 visits (plus possibly orthodontics since it's been so long with a missing molar), but internationally is maybe $2-3k vs $5-15k.)




Consider applying for YC's Winter 2026 batch! Applications are open till Nov 10

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: