One of our clients Bruce is a certified registered nurse anesthetist. He spent over 30 years inside the American healthcare system. He knows exactly what things cost.

Six months after moving to BGC he needed a full body dermatology exam. He had skin cancer removed before leaving Wisconsin and his doctor recommended a follow-up at the six-month mark.

He walked 10 minutes from his condo to St. Luke's Medical Center. Saw a dermatologist. Full exam, head to toe.

He got the bill.

2,000 pesos. Less than $40.

The same appointment in the States, even with insurance, would have been hundreds of dollars. A man who spent his entire career in healthcare sat there genuinely stunned.

I recently had my daughter Sellah at Makati Medical Center — one of the top private hospitals in the Philippines. World class doctors. Private birthing room. 24-hour nursing care. Meals included.

The birthing room cost $28 per hour.

The delivery procedure came to $2,500 out of pocket. The same procedure in the United States runs $3,000 to $8,000 without insurance. Often higher.

The full five-day stay — birthing room, procedure, anesthesiologist, medications, doctor fees, everything — came to just under $10,000 paying cash with no insurance.

The average American pays more than that for a single emergency room visit back home.

The average American over 65 spends $6,000 to $12,000 per year out of pocket on healthcare even with Medicare. Premiums, copays, deductibles, prescriptions — it never stops going up.

Medicare does not cover you outside the United States.

In the Philippines you pay out of pocket. But the out of pocket cost is so dramatically lower that most expats end up spending significantly less here than they were spending on premiums and copays back home with full coverage.

Bruce's personal trainer at a BGC gym costs less than $20 per hour. One to one. No shared sessions. He joined for $26 per month on a Father's Day special. In the States the same arrangement runs $40 to $60 per hour minimum.

The healthcare arbitrage in the Philippines is not just the big moments. It is every routine visit, every prescription, every wellness decision. It adds up to thousands of dollars per year staying in your pocket.

St. Luke's Medical Center and Makati Medical Center are not budget clinics. They are internationally accredited, English-speaking, and staffed by doctors who trained abroad. World class by any standard.

And they are both a short walk from the most popular expat neighborhoods in BGC and Makati.

Bruce put it simply. He is making the Philippines his home permanently and vacationing in the States instead. A big part of that decision was knowing that if something goes wrong medically he is 10 minutes from one of the best hospitals in Southeast Asia.

That peace of mind is hard to put a dollar figure on.

The $40 dermatology exam is a pretty good start.

Click here to start your move to the Philippines the right way

Travel Well,

Evan Lorezca

The Savvy Expat