If you’re an American, you’ve probably faced bafflingly high medical costs at some point in your life.
Why does one dose of Tylenol cost, like, $200 in the hospital when you can buy a whole bottle at CVS for $15???
Well, a couple of days ago, 29-year-old Bryn Elise (@bryn.elise) shared a video on TikTok about her recent experience with medical tourism in Turkey that has Americans everywhere renewing their passports.
The video quickly went viral and, as of this writing, has been viewed more than 12 million times on TikTok.
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
Bryn starts the video by saying, “I flew to Turkey to get the most in-depth checkup of my life, and it was the greatest thing I’ve ever done for my health and my bank account.”
“Doing this in the US would have cost me 1000s and taken months to line up, but in one day, we’re doing it all, scans, tests, meetings with specialists, and the price of everything is jaw-dropping.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
Then, she walks viewers through her appointment-packed day as she gets full body care. “First thing you’ll do is get your blood drawn so they can start running tests. You’ll also do an EKG. You’ll take your blood pressure, height, and weight. And now we’re off to radiology for a chest X-ray and an abdominal ultrasound.”
“We also did a thyroid ultrasound and some more tests, and then we went over to nuclear medicine and did a bone density scan. How amazing is that?”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
She also showed off the hospital’s food selections which honestly look good enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if locals swing by the hospital for lunch. “Here, they actually brought in a popular Turkish restaurant to handle all the meals, and patients can literally order it to be delivered to their rooms. It’s unreal.”
After she had her lunch, Bryn’s appointments continued. “Now it’s time to meet with the internal medicine doctor and go over my test results. I was trying to play it cool, but I was nervous. We went over, one by one, the 30-plus scans, tests, and cancer markers I was tested for in-depth, and I got to ask all my pressing questions about my health.”
“Now time to visit the gynecologist, do a Pap smear, and I was like, cut the cameras. After that, ophthalmology. The doctor said, ‘Hey, this is how you see now, and this is how the world should look.’ Turns out I have astigmatism, and your girl needs glasses.
Then, you’ll normally go to a dental examination, but I actually just did one, so we skipped it. Now cardiology. So I did a stress test and a chest ultrasound, which may have been my favorite part of the entire day. I got to see my heart beating in my chest.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
She sums up her experience by saying, “It was incredible. This is why I love health tourism, because I would never be able to afford this level of care in the United States, and this entire full-day package only cost $810.”
“Personally, I’d rather spend $700 on a flight to Turkey, get dozens of tests there, and take a whole vacation, than spend the thousands that this would have cost in the United States.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
In the comments, Americans are stunned by the pricetag on this incredible level of care.
Americans are also sharing some of their most outrageous medical bills because who amongst us hasn’t been charged $500+ for a 10-minute Zoom call with a nurse?
Even beyond the costs, Americans are also very impressed with the time and quality of care Bryn received during her day of appointments compared to the rushed care many of us get in the States.
Bryn told BuzzFeed that she made this appointment to address a list of health concerns, and she feels it was worth every single penny. “In the United States, in-depth preventative checkups like this are NOT the norm, and issues only get discovered and treated when you present serious symptoms. Due to that, I’ve had a number of small health concerns that had been piling up for years. Nothing too serious (I hoped!), but I knew I couldn’t just live my entire life wondering if I was okay.”
“A main issue for me was that for years, I’ve been experiencing memory issues, brain fog, and heart palpitations. My blood test was able to show right away that I was critically low on B12, and by prescribing me a series of B12 shots to get my levels normal, I would start feeling better. I am happy to report that I’m halfway through treatment and have already seen an improvement! It seems ridiculous to me that something like low B12 caused so many issues but went undetected for so long.
This is why preventative care is so important because treatable issues that can be fixed if you act quickly are going undetected. I also have a family history of heart and thyroid issues, so being able to ultrasound my thyroid and do an echocardiogram to make sure everything was normal was such a relief! And those are just some of the results and issues we caught during the checkup.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
In addition to helping her physical health, Bryn says the visit has also alleviated her health anxiety. “Besides the fact that the checkup uncovered the cause of some of my symptoms, it completely cured the health anxiety that I’d be living with for so long. In my opinon, that itself was well worth the $810.”
“It may seem silly, but I left the hospital feeling like I have a new lease on life! I think everyone on earth deserves to have access to preventative care like this, and if it was more accessible, we would catch a lot of issues before they become serious.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
Bryn also shared more information about the full costs of her trip to Turkey: “As for travel costs, I spent $700 on my flight and an average of $300 a week on accommodation. When I plan my trips, I always use the Google Flights Explore feature to find the cheapest flights across the next six months and book my health trips accordingly.”
“I also recommend that if you know you’re going to be traveling to and from Türkiye for treatments frequently to teach yourself about airline mile reward programs. It will save you a lot of money!
Since discovering health and beauty tourism three years ago, I’ve downgraded to the most basic health insurance in the United States (for emergencies) and choose to book all of my treatments and doctor visits abroad. That in itself saves me so much money, and I get to put the money I’ve saved towards multiple health vacations each year. It’s a great way to see the world and get the proper care you need.”
@bryn.elise / Via tiktok.com
In recent years, Turkey has become a popular destination for medical tourism, particularly for cosmetic procedures (think: Love Island convos about “Turkey teeth,” aka veneers done while on holiday).
Cosmetic medical trips to Turkey are especially popular among residents of the UK, who reportedly went from 120,000 trips abroad for medical procedures in 2015 to 248,000 in 2019.
However, UK officials have also issued warnings about these trips, as six UK citizens died in 2023 after receiving cosmetic procedures in Turkey. Chair of the British Medical Association’s Board of Science, David Strain, said, “What we can never guarantee is the surgical standards in different countries, and even the equipment that may be used, and that’s where the risk comes.”
So, if you’re considering traveling to get medical care at a lower cost, it’s crucially important to do your research and only visit providers who have been vetted and shown to give the highest level of care.
Ultimately, Bryn says she’s very happy with her experience at Memorial Hospital in Istanbul, and she says, “I’ve spent the last three years traveling around the world to uncover the world’s best health and beauty tourism destinations. My goal is to track down the best, most affordable treatments and share them with the world via TikTok so people can get the care they need. I like to think that the best way to fix our broken healthcare system is to educate people on their options. If enough people leave the US to receive treatment, maybe the system will be forced to change.”
Source Agencies
