In countries like Canada and the UK, where public healthcare systems can have extended waiting lists and referral times for less-emergency procedures, long wait times impact different life aspects including earning ability, daily functions, relationships, social life, and mental health.
If you're in need of urgent consultation or elective surgery and can't wait months or even years, traveling abroad for treatment can be the most practical solution.
When assessing the costs which will be out-of-pocket, consider the impact of waiting on your mental and physical health. Other key factors include the healthcare standards in the destination country.
High costs and limited insurance coverage: In the U.S., healthcare can be extremely expensive, especially if you're uninsured or if your conditions are not covered. Seeking healthcare abroad lets you find treatments with a fraction of the cost, even for procedures not covered by insurance.
Advanced or unavailable treatments: Your home state or country might not have access to the latest medical technologies or specialized treatments that you need. By seeking healthcare abroad, you can access cutting-edge medical procedures or treatments not yet available or fully developed at home.
We select Providers that are board-certified or hold equivalent credentials, or have international accreditations like JCI.
We partner with renowned specialists with proven track records.
We choose facilities known for their success rates and patient outcomes.
We vet and select only internationally accredited and board-certified equivalent Providers with proven track records in their specialties. These facilities have proven track records treating international patients, and we personally run through the process to ensure communication standards.
We regularly review and interview Providers to ensure they maintain high quality standards. We track treatment outcomes and success rates across our platform, using this data to continuously evaluate Provider performance. Providers are required to maintain satisfaction benchmarks.
We conduct periodic site visits and quality assessments to ensure facilities maintain infrastructure and staffing standards.
We vet and select only internationally accredited and board-certified equivalent Providers with proven track records in their specialties. These facilities have proven track records treating international patients, and we personally run through the process to ensure communication standards.
We regularly review and interview Providers to ensure they maintain high quality standards. We track treatment outcomes and success rates across our platform, using this data to continuously evaluate Provider performance. Providers are required to maintain satisfaction benchmarks.
We conduct periodic site visits and quality assessments to ensure facilities maintain infrastructure and staffing standards.
Yes, we encourage you to gather enough advice and information from doctors, whether from your PCP or your own specialists, or via our platform, to make the best-informed decision. We arrange preliminary virtual consultations with specialists to discuss your treatment plan, ensuring it's right for you before you commit to travel.
Provincial reimbursement: Most provinces require prior approval before providing meaningful coverage for medical procedures abroad. For long wait times, you'll likely only receive minimal emergency rates ($50–100 CAD per day) without approval. However, if the procedure is not available anywhere in Canada, provinces typically provide better coverage—sometimes full reimbursement at "fair and reasonable" rates—but still require prior approval from a specialist demonstrating medical necessity and unavailability in Canada.
Tax credits: Regardless of provincial coverage, you can claim medical expenses abroad on your tax return if they exceed 3% of your net income or $2,759 (whichever is less), providing tax savings of approximately 20–25% of eligible expenses. You can also claim travel expenses if traveling more than 40 km for medical care, including accommodation and meals for trips over 80 km. Only unreimbursed expenses are eligible for tax credits.
Disclaimer: This information is for general guidance only and should not be considered professional tax or financial advice. Healthcare coverage rules vary significantly by province and individual circumstances. Consult directly with your provincial health ministry to understand your specific situation.
We understand that financial constraints shouldn't prevent you from accessing quality healthcare. To address this concern, we're partnering with trusted medical loan providers to offer financing solutions specifically for Americans seeking medical treatment. These medical loans can cover your treatment costs, flights, and accommodation expenses, eliminating the need to save for large upfront payments and removing the initial financial barrier to resolving your health condition. This allows you to focus on your recovery while managing costs through manageable payment plans. More details about our financing partnerships and application process will be available soon.
For Americans and Canadians: For short-term treatment (usually under 90 days), many countries and places including Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE, Thailand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and South Korea allow medical treatment on regular tourist status (via your passport, not requiring specific medical visas).
Medical documentation: Consult your primary care physician (PCP) and obtain copies of your relevant medical records.
Travel documents: Ensure your passport is valid for 6+ months beyond your travel dates.
Financial planning: Verify your budget covers the cost estimates provided by your specialist or surgeon, plus accommodation in the destination country.
Flight arrangements: Book flights with flexible date change options to accommodate possible extended recovery.
Post-treatment planning: Obtain detailed post-operative care instructions from your specialist or surgeon.
If a medical emergency occurs during your treatment abroad, you will need immediate emergency stabilization at a local hospital's ER for stabilization and treatment. Thus we recommend securing complications insurance (covers unexpected medical complications arising from your planned procedure) and travel medical insurance (covers general medical emergencies unrelated to your procedure).
If an emergency happens:
1. Call the local emergency number immediately (999 in Hong Kong, 119 in Taiwan, 999 in Malaysia, etc.) for local ER stabilization and treatment. You can find your local emergency number in your app. 2. Use the emergency button in the app to notify your emergency contact at home (including GPS location), surgeon contact, your insurers, and Kibo's emergency team.
Medical records are stored in your app medical profile so you can show them to the medical staff.
Typically you'll have 1 or 2 initial in-person follow-up appointments with your surgeon during your recovery stay abroad, within the first week or two after the procedure. Once you're cleared to travel home, your ongoing care transitions to virtual follow-ups with the surgeon and in-person check-ins with your PCP.
Our platform provides AI-assisted daily check-ins to monitor your symptoms and recovery progress and to catch early signs of potential complications; automated medication management with refill reminders; follow-up reminders for virtual appointments after returning home; and AI-guided rehabilitation support through our partner to assist with your post-procedure recovery process.
All data handling is designed to be HIPAA and GDPR compliant, with no identifiable information transmitted without your explicit consent.
Apart from these, you should also share your treatment reports with your PCP at home to ensure care continuity.
Kibo protects your medical information through enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure with AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS 1.3 encryption for all data transfers. Our HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant tech stack and strict data handling procedures ensure your protected health information remains secure and private at all times.
We provide information on consent laws, patient rights in the treatment country, medical malpractice, and ensure all procedures are legally compliant.
Get assessed at our website. Sign up using our authorization code. Access the platform to look for a suitable doctor.
The earliest treatment depends on Provider availability, but generally within a few weeks.
Absolutely—you are in complete control of your healthcare journey. You have the right to adjust or cancel your treatment plan at any time, and we'll handle the logistics with Providers. Your health decisions are entirely yours, and we're here to support whatever direction feels right for you.
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