Comprehensive health screening (full-body checkup package) — side by side
| Where | Reported cost | Notes & source |
|---|---|---|
| China (reported) | ~¥800 (~US$110) self-pay | First-hand report from a dedicated check-up clinic in Shenzhen: bloods, heart check, breath test, eye test, CT scan, chest and womb ultrasound, urine sample — about two hours, results within days; the creator's employer benefit covered it fully Source: Reported in video (Shenzhen check-up clinic) |
| United States (insured, preventive) | $0 for covered preventive screenings | Marketplace and most private plans must cover recommended preventive services in-network at no cost — but the scope is narrower than a Chinese package, and extra tests triggered by findings are billed normally Source: HealthCare.gov preventive care benefits |
| United States (self-pay executive physical) | US$1,700–10,000 per package | Peer-reviewed survey of 46 executive-physical packages at top-ranked US hospitals (JAMA, 2019) — the closest US equivalent of a one-day comprehensive screening; most are self-pay because insurers do not cover them Source: Korenstein et al., JAMA 2019 (peer-reviewed) |
Who this is for
Anyone who has seen a video of a two-hour, scan-and-bloodwork check-up in China and wondered what the same breadth of testing would cost at home. China runs health checks (tijian) as a standardised consumer product that employers commonly subsidise; the US does not have a direct equivalent outside executive-physical programs. We put the reported Chinese figure next to the two realistic US paths — insured preventive care and a self-pay comprehensive package — with sources.
Read the numbers carefully
- The China figure is a self-reported single anecdote at one private Shenzhen clinic, not a national average. Package prices vary by city, clinic tier and how much imaging is included.
- The $0 US row and the Chinese package are not the same product: US preventive coverage is a list of age- and risk-based screenings, while the Chinese package bundles a CT scan and multiple ultrasounds for an asymptomatic person — an approach US guidelines do not recommend for low-risk patients.
- The executive-physical range is from a 2019 peer-reviewed survey; current program prices sit across that same span and are typically paid out of pocket.
- More testing is not automatically better: incidental findings from scans can lead to follow-up procedures with their own costs and risks. Cost is one axis — see our guides before making any decision.