Why Hong Kong’s Healthcare Outperforms America’s

A personal journey through illness in Hong Kong reveals how affordable, efficient healthcare makes the American system look broken by design.

When Illness Teaches You More Than Politics Ever Could

Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash

Illness has a way of stripping away illusion. When you’re feverish, in pain, and unsure of what’s wrong with your body, the last thing you should be thinking about is how much the cure will cost. But for many Americans, especially those without insurance, that question becomes a central source of dread. I grew up with this mindset, trained by a healthcare system that punishes the sick with high fees, limited access, and constant fear. It wasn’t until I started living in Hong Kong that I realized how thoroughly I had internalized the American healthcare nightmare.

Years ago, in Hong Kong, after being exposed to a typhoon and spending too much time in cold air-conditioned rooms, I caught the flu. It wasn’t like the seasonal flu I was used to. I had no fever at first, but my throat felt raw and infected, my nose was congested, and my stomach churned with nausea. I suspected food poisoning too, perhaps from a traditional dinner I had in a gritty corner of Kowloon. Despite my symptoms, I resisted going to a clinic. I had no health insurance in Hong Kong and was terrified of being hit with a large bill, just as I would have been back home.

Fear of the Doctor Is an American Invention

Instead, I bought a bottle of Methodex cough syrup and drank hot water, hoping to manage the symptoms myself. After two days, my condition worsened. A fever began to set in, and my coughing intensified. A relative urged me to see a doctor, and I reluctantly agreed, expecting the worst in terms of cost.

The clinic doctor in Hong Kong quickly diagnosed me with the flu and prescribed medication. I braced myself for the total at the counter. The final bill came to HKD240, which is roughly USD31 at the time. That included both the consultation and the prescription drugs. If I had been insured, that entire amount would have been covered. I was stunned. Back in the United States, I would have paid $20 or more just in co-payments, and significantly more if I were uninsured, often $100 or more just to be seen by a doctor, not counting the cost of prescriptions. Here, in one of the world’s most expensive cities, I had received quality medical care for a fraction of what I was used to paying at home.