Faced with inadequate US healthcare, Black women fly to South Korea: ‘It could save your life’

For years, Americans have crossed borders in search of affordable healthcare, whether it be for dental work in Mexico, prescription drugs in Canada, or hair transplants in Turkey. But a new destination in medical tourism is gaining momentum among Black American women, who are increasingly booking flights to Seoul, South Korea, for something else: care that feels inclusive. South Korea holds a reputation as the global capital of cosmetic dermatology and plastic surgery. But many visitors are discovering comprehensive preventive medicine, extensive diagnostic testing and appointments that are more affordable and easier to access than in the United States. “Our clients have told us they want to know what’s actually going on in their body,” says William Ban, the co-founder and COO of Himedi, a preventive health platform that connects American clients with comprehensive diagnostic screening in South Korea. “They arrive in Korea and access a level of diagnostic thoroughness with same-day imaging, comprehensive panels and specialist review that would take months and significant out-of-pocket cost to assemble in the US, if they could access it at all.” According to Ban, requests from Black American women have risen significantly over the past several years, particularly for comprehensive health check-ups. “It’s a pattern worth paying attention to. The interest we see isn’t primarily cosmetic; it’s diagnostic. Clients want comprehensive panels like gynaecological, thyroid and cardiovascular screenings. The procedures that come up most often track closely with the health conditions where Black women in the US face the steepest disparities and the most documented gaps in clinical attention.” It checks out. Black American women face disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death among the group – and have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world, yet studies have found they are more likely to experience delays in diagnosis and tr…