- An Indian senior citizen shared his costly US medical treatment experience online
- Doctor consultation cost Rs 23,000 and medicines Rs 42,000 in Seattle
- Prescribed Indian medicines took 4-5 days to arrive at a local US pharmacy
An Indian senior citizen's account of seeking medical treatment in the United States has gone viral after X user Adhir Sinha shared his experience, highlighting the stark difference in healthcare costs between India and the US. In the post, the senior citizen said he had been staying in Seattle with his wife for two months when they ran out of the medicines they had brought from India. His wife had been recovering from a respiratory illness with medication prescribed back home, but the couple needed a fresh prescription after their supply was exhausted.
Seeking treatment turned out to be far more expensive than they had anticipated. According to him, the doctor's consultation alone cost around Rs 23,000. The prescribed medicines added another Rs 42,000, taking the total medical bill to more than Rs 65,000.
The experience did not end there. He said the prescribed medicines were not immediately available and took four to five days to arrive at the local pharmacy. When they finally collected them, he was surprised to discover that the medicines had been manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla and were labelled "Made in India".
"It took us 12 days to obtain medicines here that are readily available at any pharmacy in India. A week later, we received a bill of $283 (approximately ₹23,000) for the doctor's consultation fee. Consider yourselves to be fortunate to be living in India during your retirement years," he wrote.
Reflecting on the experience, he contrasted life in the US with everyday conveniences in India. He praised India's affordable healthcare, inexpensive mobile data, rapid grocery delivery services, easy access to specialist doctors, doorstep diagnostic tests, seamless UPI-based digital payments, readily available domestic help and the strong sense of community among neighbours.
See the post here:
*An advice from a senior citizen currently visiting the US*
— Sr.Sinha (@AdhirSinha) July 5, 2026
Dear friends,
We have been staying in Seattle, Washington, for the past two months. My wife was suffering from a severe respiratory issue when we left India. After using those medicines from India,here in the US, she had…
Summing up his thoughts, he wrote, "India is not merely a country; it is a wonderful world filled with conveniences at every turn."
The post has since sparked widespread discussion on social media. Many users agreed that India's healthcare system is significantly more affordable and accessible, especially for routine consultations and medicines. Others said the story highlighted why medical insurance is essential in the US, where consultation fees, lab tests and prescription drugs are often billed separately and can quickly become expensive.
At the same time, some users argued that the comparison is more nuanced, pointing out that the US healthcare system provides access to advanced treatments, cutting-edge medical technology and specialised care, factors they said contribute to its higher costs.
