Hospital Charges Here and Elsewhere
For procedures such as the ones shown here, U.S. hospitals will most likely quote prices similar to those in the leftmost column for patients who lack insurance coverage and are ineligible for medical assistance. Not so abroad. By comparison, Medicare payments to hospitals are much closer to foreign prices than to the full-price quotes at left. Figures other than for Medicare payments were taken from Patients Beyond Borders, a bestselling series of consumer guides to international medical travel that have helped thousands of patients plan for successful procedures abroad. Healthy Travel Media, publisher of the series, has become a clearinghouse for valuable information about medical and wellness travel.
| Procedure | United States | India | Thailand | Singapore | Malaysia | Panama | South Korea | Taiwan | Typical Medicare Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coronary artery bypass surgery | $70,000-133,000 | $7,000 | $22,000 | $16,300 | $12,000 | $10,500 | $31,750 | $27,500 | $18,609-23,589 |
| Bypass surgery with heart valve replacement | $75,000-140,000 | $9,500 | $25,000 | $22,000 | $13,400 | $13,500 | $42,000 | $30,000 | $30,903-42,954 |
| Hip replacement | $33,000-57,000 | $10,200 | $12,700 | $12,000 | $7,500 | $5,500 | $10,600 | $8,800 | $10,085-12,263 |
| Knee replacement | $30,000-53,000 | $9,200 | $11,500 | $9,600 | $12,000 | $7,000 | $11,800 | $10,000 | $10,085-12,263 |
| Prostate surgery (TURP procedure) | $10,000-16,000 | $3,600 | $4,400 | $5,300 | $4,600 | $3,200 | $3,150 | $2,750 | $3,003-3,703 |
| Gastric bypass | $35,000-52,000 | $9,300 | $13,000 | $16,500 | $12,700 | $8,500 | $9,300 | $10,200 | $7,902-9,876 |
| Face-lift | $10,500-16,000 | $4,800 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $6,400 | $2,500 | $6,650 | $8,500 | * |
* Not reimbursable. Note: U.S. charges are list prices. Physician and certain other fees are generally excluded. Prices at non-U.S. hospitals are all-inclusive other than for Panama, which does not include surgeon’s fee. Medicare amounts represent typical reimbursements to hospitals. Sources: Patients Beyond Borders, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Reader Comments
hi
im bord
Hospital Care - Costa Rica
Me and my wife just came back from Costa Rica. Every some years we went down there to make check-ups and dental care and have been so far very satisfied. It has been 3 years since the last time and we noticed immediately a different clientel- many americans in line . Many more than ever before. And different pricing : when we paid at the CIMA hospital for a blood test 3 years ago $100 the bill was this time more than double . My wife underwent an ultrasound for her lower body - and was diagnosed a huge polyp that must be removed . She was told this could be done next day and cost $600 . A second opinion on this showed - THERE WAS NO POLYP AT ALL. There was nothing ! The colonoskopy was another shocker where she was told she MUST have an operation because they found something : a second opinion was done and one of the best specialists in Costa Rica diagnosed that she can change diet, wait 2 years and make another colonoskopy to follow up if any changes appear ! Question also : why wasn't the 1 cm growth removed during the colonoskopy ?
I had my teeth done- I was told 8 of my fillings where bad. They where replaced with ceramic . Now- 4 weeks later I can still not chew meat as my fillings are causing pain. I was told by a US dentist that the Costa Rican dentist has drilled into my roots and I most likely have to get the 8 fillings redone . But there is no guarantee from Coosta Rica to ask and the money was a complete waste !
Just on the end that Costa Rican doctors and hospitals trying to cash in as much as they can with bad quick fixes and wrong diagnoses as long as they can and before the healtgh care system in the US is changing . In a way- we are srewed by our politicians and screwed again now by the crooks in Costa Rica.
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