Sky-high costs of U.S. healthcare are so crippling to Americans in need of treatment, that some are seeking relief abroad, in nations with socialized healthcare.

Three Americans who experienced medical debt and a lack of coverage in the United States felt they had no choice but to leave the country.

The problems driving them out of the American healthcare system are too many to count. To start, those with employer provided health insurance must pay the high cost of the plans, while self-employed Americans often experience long gaps in coverage. Many are too young to qualify for Medicare or too well-off to receive Medicaid.

One woman, Jennifer Sontag, married her boyfriend “purely to get health insurance” because she was struggling to afford treatment for her Crohn’s disease, a chronic bowel condition. Later, when she was visiting China, she fell and hit her head, leading her to spend five days in a Shanghai hospital before returning to the United States for the rest of her treatment. She was amazed when her Chinese hospital bill only cost her $1,300, while she could only negotiate her American treatment cost down to $100,000.

There are countless Americans like Sontag, who are burdened with unnecessary medical debt. In fact, more than 40 percent of Americans are in some form of medical debt. For many, simply knowing the cost of care would help relieve them from the burden. But many U.S. hospitals refuse to follow laws which command them to post the actual cost of care upfront, online.

For Sontag and others who have chosen to move abroad for care, they no longer fear seeking medical assistance. They do not have to weigh the risk of financial ruin against how unwell they feel.

At Solidarity HealthShare, we seek to facilitate a way for Americans to receive quality care at a low cost without having to leave the country. We are committed to financial security for our members and provide some of the most affordable and comprehensive alternatives here at home in America. We never want anyone to have to choose between getting high quality health care or going into debt. For more information about how you can join the Solidarity community, please give our Member Care team a call today at 737-SHARING.