During a recent healthcare exam, my doctor told me that she “strongly recommended” a certain medical procedure. Attempting to provide reassurance, she stated, “I know it’s incredibly expensive, but I’ve had patients go abroad to get it done, where it’s usually much cheaper.”
I was surprised. A medical professional was literally recommending that I go to a different country to get an important surgery. The richest country in the world, with ostensibly the best healthcare system, is losing patients to so-called underdeveloped countries.
A booming market
The medical tourism market is projected to see exponential growth. Currently valued at $35 billion, it’s estimated to grow to $142 billion by 2034. In the past, patients traveled from underdeveloped countries into the US—but this has turned into its opposite. The key driver for this shift is the exorbitant price of healthcare in the US, long wait times, and the rapid development of medical hubs in countries like Mexico, India, China, and the Caribbean.
Common services that patients seek treatment for abroad include substance-use disorders, cancer treatment, elective orthopedic surgeries (hip, knee, spine, etc.), heart transplants, and reproductive services including fertility treatment and abortions.
Reproductive health is particularly notable. Given general financial instability and the high cost of childcare, fertility rates are down to 1.6 births per woman in the US, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1. An increasing number of women in the US are electing to freeze their eggs, but this requires an average annual household income of $195,000.
Trump is aware of declining fertility rates. When he came into office he promised free IVF treatments, which can cost upwards of $25,000 in the US. For comparison, the same procedure would cost roughly $9,000 in Mexico. This has led to a sharp increase in medical tourism to Mexico, with 1.3 million Americans crossing the border to seek some sort of medical or dental care in 2025 alone.
Another factor is the lack of access to reproductive care in the US. After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, clinics in Tijuana and Mexico City saw an increase in women from Texas, Louisiana, and Arizona seeking abortions across the border.
China’s healthcare advancements
Another country that’s seen a rise in medical tourism is China, where advances in AI and robotics are improving both healthcare efficiency and quality. Whereas the US is spending big on developing data centers and super-technologies, China has been looking to immediately integrate AI as widely as possible into their everyday lives. For example, in China, digital healthcare isn’t accessed using a separate app or system, but is directly built into the apps used daily for everything from messaging to food delivery. Chinese residents can simply scan a QR code, put in their symptoms, and receive guidance via text, video, or book themselves into a public clinic immediately if needed.
China has developed advanced robots to complete surgeries, to streamline hospital flow, and even to prevent the spread of diseases in the community. This year, they also launched the world’s first fully AI-powered “Agent” hospital, which already includes 42 AI doctors, operations across 21 fields including cardiology and neurology, and is capable of treating 10,000 virtual patients in days—something that could take human doctors up to two years.
In Hainan, China opened a pilot “special economic zone” a decade ago, where more than 30 medical institutions are now offering everything from advanced medical screening and rehab to traditional Chinese treatments including acupuncture. The zone has attracted investment from over 20 countries, and is projected to become a world-class medical tourism destination by 2030.
Similar economic zones are gaining traction across China, with more cities rolling out their own medical tourism strategies. Additionally, China currently produces over 3.5 million STEM grads every year, compared with a meager 580,000 in the US. China’s recent innovations in technology and AI, combined with their education system, is positioning them as a global leader in the healthcare field.
Medicine is just one of the many industries in which the US is being left behind. However, countries like Mexico, India, and China are also not without problems. All are run under a global system that ultimately puts profits before human needs.
The recent advancements in medicine and AI highlight the ingenuity and innovative potential of the working class. Once healthcare is placed under democratic workers’ control, this potential will no longer be hampered by the profit motive.