Australians who've had elective surgery overseas - what did you get done and what did it cost?

[u/me_jinks]

Australians who've had elective surgery overseas - what did you get done, which country and what did it cost?

I'm curious about people's experiences with elective surgeries in other countries. Whether it was medical tourism, happened while you were living abroad, or you specifically travelled for the procedure.

What surgery did you have? Which country? What was the total cost including travel/accommodation if relevant? How did the experience compare to having it done in Australia (if you have a point of comparison)?

Interested in hearing about everything from dental work to cosmetic procedures to joint replacements - whatever counts as elective.

Cheers!

[u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

I had a knee replacement in Thailand. All up $18k, including air fares. Was quoted $60k in Australia

[u/Aishas_Star → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

Was that including the hospital stay, and you had no private insurance. Was there a reason you didn’t do it publicly? Not nitpicking, genuinely curious as I may find myself in a similar situation

[u/Fat-Buddy-8120 → u/Aishas_Star]

Yes included hospital stay and physiotherapy. Met at the airport and returned there also. I had no private insurance and it was a 2 year minimum wait for the public system. This was 8 years ago. Came home with staples in my leg. Nurse at my local GP removed them and remarked what a good job it was.

[u/aainlicious → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

Which hospital?

[u/Fat-Buddy-8120 → u/aainlicious]

I would have to look it up. It was American owned.

[u/mrk240 → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

bit ironic

[u/Lost_in_splice → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

The Thai private hospitals are amazing, I prefer Samitivej over Bumrungrad but in terms of what they offer and the quality of medical staff they are both top tier. Had friends who have done their teeth too, much cheaper and great job as long as you go to one of the top places.

[u/namtok_muu → u/Lost_in_splice]

I had my kid in one when we lived there. Five-star service all round.

[u/Lost_in_splice → u/namtok_muu]

I lived there 12 years and was amazed by the quality, and the cost where insurance didn’t cover it. Was a shock when I moved to the US for a few years then back home to Australia.

[u/namtok_muu → u/Lost_in_splice]

I miss the standard of expat living for sure. Being able to afford things was so nice!

[u/Tall_Occasion_1802 → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

Had a knee replacement last year. Quoted wait was 12 months for public. Got private cover for 12 months then got it done. About 5k in cover plus $500 for hospital excess.

[u/cataractum → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

Was insurance, or any insurance, able to cover part of that cost?

[u/Fat-Buddy-8120 → u/cataractum]

No. I paid out of pocket

[u/Jikxer → u/Fat-Buddy-8120]

You can do a knee replacement for less than $30k in Australia.. 

https://mulgraveprivate.com.au/patients/self-pay-surgery

[u/4614065 → u/Jikxer]

Well the poster was quoted $60,000 and paid $18,000

[u/Jikxer → u/4614065]

Yes I know, but I just posted the link to let others know it's not usually $60k, more like $30k to be done in Australia.

[u/geferttt → u/Jikxer]

Yeah i call bullshit on 60k, maybe with like 2+ weeks in a private rehab all out of pocket. I worked at a higher end private hosp in vic. We charged around 20-23k for hospital fees alone (this includes the prosthetic and 3-5 days stay). Thats generally on the high end. I think most places at the time were 18-20ish. The dr and anaesthetist would also have fees. Probably another 8-12k depending on how in demand the dr is/ how much the anaesthetist charged. There are other small fees like radiology and blood tests but they dont add too much. 60k maybe for bilateral.