Traveling for Treatment. Soaring U.S. health costs are driving more Americans abroad for medical treatment.

Bruce Pearson, a 61-year-old plant nursery owner in Boynton Beach, Fla., was desperate for relief from excruciating back pain. Worried that his health insurance might not cover treatment, he searched the Web for options-finally choosing to have spinal stenosis surgery in Thailand. Pearson's total bill: $4,618.03 for services that would have cost him at least $14,000 out of pocket at home.