I asked my cardiologist about a procedure a doctor in the old country recommended for my mother. “Oh, that’s quite expensive here. I’d say about 200 thousand NTD without NHI”.
My mom’s cardiologist had quoted a conservative estimate of the equivalent of 2 to 4 million NTD. Roughly.
I can get mom to fly business class all the way and pay for her operation, throw in a shopping trip to Tokyo and still have money left. I understand now why Taiwanese come back even for the dentist.
That’s a good question. Are APRC holders added into that mix? I would suspect yes as it seems the suspension program itself is cancelled.
My wife recently returned to Taiwan for dental treatment that was quoted at US$20k here in Seattle. Our US insurance would have covered US$2000 of that.
Total cost in Taipei was NT$12000 for treatment + NT$24000 for the roundtrip ticket on Starlux, or about 7% of what we’d need to pay out of pocket in the US. We’ve continued NHI contributions every month since leaving for this reason.
All of them?
Seriously, short of a dire emergency at death’s door.
If it’s minor just wait until your next trip, if it’s major the trip and all expenses will still be less than your co-pay. 
This is based on our own direct experience, including a couple of emergencies, over the last ten years. 
The ACA was supposedly a stepping stone to universal healthcare, but it turned out to be a rug-pull. (Would be funny as hell if Trump implemented Medicare for all!)
I think the only reason America has such terrible “healthcare” is because of information asymmetry. Basically if you call up hospitals in the US to ask how much some procedure will cost, well they won’t tell you because there’s all kinds of weird arrangements between providers and insurance companies, meaning the price is all different.
This means you can’t go shop around for the best hospital for the price, and it’s also why there’s the in or out of network bullshit there. It’s completely against free market. However the lack of information makes Americans think their healthcare is ok, and as a result they don’t demand universal healthcare of any kind thinking that it will lead to higher cost.
This is besides the fact that Americans spends the most on healthcare on a per capita basis, yet gets crap outcome. Sure America has the best doctors and all that, but that’s if you can afford it…
Otherwise the cost is 200,000 USD while your insurance will pay 90% of it, meaning you are still paying a LOT for some procedure that costs maybe 10,000nt in Taiwan.
There’s already another thread about this rule change here:
I was reading on another thread that it’s extremely difficult to find a good dentist in Taiwan. That many dentists are just retail shops, who care little about your mouth. Was that also your experience when looking for a dentist in Taiwan?
Many Americans are unaware that they can negotiate their final bill—I didn’t know this either. As a Canadian living in a border state and frequently traveling to the U.S., I was surprised to learn about it. In my case, the final bill ended up being only about one-fifth of the original amount they requested.
When it comes to prescriptions, I know some Canadians might give me grief for saying this, but for Americans living near the border, it’s worth considering. If you go to Costco in Canada and pay cash upfront—even without insurance—it can still be cheaper than what you’d pay in the U.S.
Canadians and Americans regularly go to Mexico for dental tourism—I’ve done it myself, having had two root canals in Tijuana. That said, Mexico’s dental tourism isn’t for everyone. I’m pretty sure I was overcharged, especially since I don’t speak a word of Spanish, which left me with less room to negotiate.
Do you think, like in Mexico, dentists in Taiwan also overcharge foreigners? LOL. Regardless, it’s still going to be much cheaper than getting the same procedures done here.
Keep in mind there are at least two components to an expensive, non-cosmetic surgery bill in the US: the hospital portion and the surgeon’s portion. The hospital may negotiate, but in my experience surgeons will not.
For prescriptions it depends on the drug, but in many cases they’re cheaper outside the US. That said, apps like GoodRX can help you find the cheapest price for drug xyz within driving distance, and in my experience pharmacy chains like Walgreens will price match. It might be best to do that the first time, and only then look for refilling outside the US.
In my experience, general practitioners are the most likely to negotiate prices, especially if you display a real interest in your own health. In 2025 many American GPs are in it to help others (they’re already relatively poorly paid).
From which border state did you travel to the US, fellow Canadian?
There are active healthcare brokers in Canada who facilitate sending patients to the U.S. for faster treatment. In some cases, the wait time for procedures like hip replacements can be as long as three years in Canada. However, if patients are willing to pay in advance, many hospitals in the U.S. offer discounted rates. That’s my understanding of the situation.
I usually travel to Washington since I have family and close friends living near Bellingham. Not sure if you’re familiar with the area, but I live on Vancouver Island. It’s sad to see the growing tensions between Canada and the U.S. nowadays.
Interesting. I wasn’t aware of the existence of such brokers in Canada, but it makes sense. Especially for hip replacements since an increasing amount of such surgeries are done via robotics with a surgeon supervising.
Had my right hip replaced in 2021 (total hip replacement), and it was pretty slick. Surgery at 9am, discharged from the hospital at 6pm after pissing standing up and walking for 50 meters with a walker; walking around the block the next day; walking a mile by the end of the week. That’s an operation that health care providers have down pat. Robotics-aided surgeries like that probably make negotiation much more likely.
When it comes to healthcare innovation, the U.S. will always be ahead of Canada—that’s simply a fact. With a universal healthcare system, Canada lags behind in medical innovation. That said, the major advantage of Canada’s system is that you won’t go bankrupt over a hospital bill.
At the same time, don’t fall for media hype claiming people are dying in ERs or that elderly patients are choosing medical assistance in dying (MAID) just to avoid long emergency room waits—those narratives are often exaggerated or outright false. Both Canada and the U.S. have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to healthcare, and depending on your needs, you might even find yourself relying on both systems—or even adding Taiwan into the mix. For dental care, Mexico’s medical tourism is another viable option.
I have no complaints about any of the dentists I’ve visited in Taiwan, however the most dental work I’ve ever required is cleaning and a single filling. YMMV.