Bradley P. Says:
Some friends told me I can save on medical procedures by doing them in Costa Rica. Is this true?
IL Costa Rica Correspondent Bekah Bottone Says:
Hi Bradley,
Medical tourism has become big business in Costa Rica. People around the world are realizing the benefits of the country’s high-quality, low-cost medical services.
The World Health Organization ranks Costa Rica’s healthcare system slightly above that of the U.S. This achievement is the result of a large government investment in the health sector. The influx of foreigners in Costa Rica has also been a big incentive for private hospitals to open and expand their operations.
Tens of thousands of Americans, including many retirees, live in Costa Rica, and more than 700,000 Americans make annual visits. With hundreds of board-certified physicians, surgeons, and dentists practicing in or near the capital city of San José, health travel has gained a strong foothold.
To give you an idea of the savings that can be made by seeking medical procedures in Costa Rica, below is a comparison table of procedures and their cost in the U.S. and Costa Rica according to the Medical Tourism Association.
(Always keep in mind, prices listed are only estimates and can certainly vary based on a number of factors including doctor, facility, and of course complexity of each individual case.)
Read more about healthcare in Costa Rica on the dedicated page of our website here.
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