As we age medical issues

Speaking from experience, my husband and I came to the Philippines in 2009 (he was originally from Dumaguete, anyway, but became a US citizen in his early 30's), when his health had deteriorated and needed my care 24 hours a day. We could much more afford for me to quit work and live in the Philippines than in the US. The medical care he received in the Philippines was, for the most part, okay. Of course, it was not up to par to what he could get in the US, but we knew that before we moved. He dropped his Medicare since he could not travel to the US for care; Dumaguete was his "final destination" and it is exactly where he wanted to be laid to rest. We had PhilHealth, which is very affordable, and is pretty good for helping out for hospitalizations, you just have to be sure to read the fine print or you could get screwed, (I did on his 2 week ICU stay while he was on life support, I ended up having to pay 100% of the bill because of a policy they have of not paying twice within a 30 day period for hospitalization for the same diagnosis). Doctor visits, medical tests, and medications, for the most part, are much more affordable and we never felt the need for any further health insurance to cover these items. So, to answer the original question: Financially, it is cheaper for most medical care in the Philippines. If it is top-notch, state of the art medical care you desire or require, then you best head home, although there are some good facilities in Manila and Cebu, but you won't find that kind of medical care available in the smaller provincial islands. We could never travel outside of Dumaguete for his care, so I cannot give specifics.