Video by Grounded Life Retirement Travel
Healthcare Abroad vs the US: 8 Years of Their Bills
Grounded Life Retirement Travel say her major surgery — a 4-night hospital stay in Kuala Lumpur — cost $4,000 cash, less than their travel-insurance deductible. They report cash-pay prescriptions ran $2-$3 versus $10-$25 copays with insurance, and in 8 years abroad they never spent enough to trigger a $5,000 deductible.
What it cost them
As stated in the video, August 2026. Prices change; these are theirs.
| Her surgery, total (4-night hospital stay in Kuala Lumpur)paid cash, no insurance; less than their travel-insurance deductible at the time | $4,000 | ▶ 3:34 |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription medication, cash pricepaid cash, no insurance | $2–$3 | ▶ 4:36 |
| Travel-insurance deductible (their high-deductible plans)never spent enough abroad in 8 years to trigger it | $5,000 | ▶ 10:23 |
Their situation
- Place (surgery)
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ▶ 3:04
- Hospital
- Gleneagles, Kuala Lumpur ▶ 3:04
- Insurance at the time of surgery
- Had travel insurance, but the $4,000 bill was less than their deductible ▶ 3:34
- Insurance now
- SafetyWing nomad health insurance ▶ 9:52
- How long they'd been traveling abroad
- 8 years of full-time travel ▶ 0:30
- Other care location mentioned
- Bangkok, Thailand (routine/urgent care) ▶ 8:17
Questions this video answers
How much did her surgery cost in Malaysia?
Grounded Life Retirement Travel say her major surgery, a 4-night hospital stay in Kuala Lumpur covering surgery and tests, cost $4,000 cash, less than their travel-insurance deductible at the time. ▶ 3:34
How much do prescriptions cost overseas compared to the US?
They say cash-pay medication that runs a $10-$25 copay with insurance costs about $2-$3 at the pharmacy overseas, paid in cash without insurance. ▶ 4:36
What insurance do they use for full-time travel?
Grounded Life use SafetyWing nomad health insurance because, unlike standard medical insurance, it covers extras like medical repatriation. ▶ 9:52
Is a high-deductible travel insurance plan worth it?
They warn that across every high-deductible travel insurance plan they tried, they never spent over $5,000 on care, so the deductible was never met and the insurance never paid a thing. ▶ 10:23
How quickly can you see a doctor overseas?
One host says she texted a clinic in Bangkok and was told she could come in that same afternoon, with no appointment wait. ▶ 8:17
The moments, in order
Press ▶ to play the video from that second.
- ▶ 0:30
Over 8 years of getting care abroad, they've found private-hospital quality equal to or better than the US, largely because doctors spend 30-45 minutes to an hour with a patient instead of a rushed few minutes.
- ▶ 2:03
She arrived about 5 minutes early to a clinic appointment; the doctor was already in the room, saw her almost immediately, spent 45 minutes doing the exam and ultrasound herself, and wanted to operate the very next day.
- ▶ 3:04
She says the nursing and hospital care she received at Gleneagles hospital in Kuala Lumpur was, in her words, incredible.
- ▶ 3:34
Her major surgery — a 4-night hospital stay covering surgery, tests and everything else — cost $4,000 total paid cash without insurance, which was less than the deductible on the travel insurance they had at the time.
as stated, August 2026
- ▶ 4:36
Prescription medication that would carry a $10-$25 copay with insurance costs about $2-$3 in cash at the pharmacy overseas.
as stated, August 2026
- ▶ 5:07
She walked out of the Kuala Lumpur hospital with medication in hand and a fully paid, zero-balance bill — no follow-up bill ever arrived, unlike the surprise bills that used to follow a hospital stay.
as stated, August 2026
- ▶ 8:50
When she tore her meniscus, she had two scans, an injection, and had already started physical therapy within the first week, and her separate surgery happened within 3 days of the appointment (delayed only by her own passport-renewal schedule).
- ▶ 9:52
They currently use SafetyWing nomad health insurance because, unlike regular medical insurance, it includes extras such as medical repatriation.
- ▶ 10:23
Their warning on insurance: across every high-deductible travel insurance plan they tried, they never once got over $5,000 in medical costs, which was the deductible on most of those plans, so the insurance never paid for a single thing.
as stated, August 2026
Worth knowing before you go
- ▶ 10:23
Their warning on insurance: across every high-deductible travel insurance plan they tried, they never once got over $5,000 in medical costs, which was the deductible on most of those plans, so the insurance never paid for a single thing.
as stated, August 2026
This is their experience, retold in our words, and not medical, insurance or financial advice.