What Kind of Savings Are We Talking About from Medical Tourism?

Chances are the main reason you are even looking into medical tourism is because of the savings. The fact is, on average you can expect to save anywhere from fifty to eighty percent of what you would normally pay in the U.S.

To get a good idea of the exact amount of money you’ll be saving, you need to consider not only the cost of the procedure, but also the air fare, lodging and other travel related costs.

Currently there are about 10-15 well known medical tourism destinations that offer internationally accredited hospitals and a variety of price points for various procedures.

For example, a triple coronary bypass can cost approximately one hundred thousand dollars in the U.S. A hospital in Mexico may advertise the same procedure for approximately thirty thousand dollars. But hold on, before speeding across the border you may want to take a glance at India or Thailand, where the same procedure runs for about ten and fifteen thousand dollars respectively.

Do you have a bad knee? A total knee replacement procedure costs about forty thousand dollars in the U.S. Several hospitals in India will replace your knee for less than ten thousand dollars. Maybe you don’t want to fly half-way across the globe for your surgery. No fear, hospitals in Mexico and Costa Rica are advertising a total knee replacement procedure for about eleven thousand dollars, which is still an attractive price considering the shorter travel distance and cheaper airfare.

Below is a price comparison table for some of the most popular medical tourism destinations:
 

Procedure	Price in the U.S.	Costa Rica	India	Mexico	Thailand
CABG	$80,000	$25,000	$10,000	$30,000	$15,000
Knee Replacement	$40,000	$11,000	$8,000	$12,000	$8,600
Hip Replacement	$35,000	$12,000	$8,500	$12,000	$10,000
Hysterectomy	$15,000	$5,000	$4,500	$5,500	$4,500
Gastric Bypass	$35,000	$11,500	$10,000	$11,500	$12,200