Many people have been speculating that healthcare costs are going up, and they’re right. In recent years, out-of-pocket healthcare costs have been rising as companies ask employees to foot more of their healthcare bills. Insurance costs more, but provides less coverage — not ideal.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average deductible has tripled over the past two decades. Though many are led to believe that paying for insurance protects them from exorbitantly expensive medical bills, the reality appears quite different.
HealthGrove, a health research site by Graphiq, did some investigating into the costs of medical procedures — many of which are cheaper in other countries.
As Johnny Harris of Vox.com demonstrated, figuring out the cost of a routine medical procedure in America, such as a childbirth, is next to impossible. So while HealthGrove can’t tell you how much you specifically will end up paying for a procedure, we can give you some averages.
Based on the most recent data (2013) from the Health Care Costs and Utilization Project, here are the 50 most expensive medical procedures in the U.S.
1 – Organ Transplantation
Average Total Cost: $527,869
2 – Extracorporeal Circulation Auxillary to Open Heart Procedures
Average Total Cost: $428,400
3 – Tracheostomy
Average Total Cost: $371,053
4 – Bone Marrow Transplant
Average Total Cost: $299,253
5 – Kidney Transplant
Average Total Cost: $196,530
6 – Vascular Bypass and Shunt (Non-Heart)
Average Total Cost: $193,790
7 – Heart Valve Procedures
Average Total Cost: $192,323
8 – Destruction of Lesion of the Retina and Choroid
Average Total Cost: $167,378
9 – Operative Heart Procedures
Average Total Cost: $165,488
10 – Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
Average Total Cost: $160,477
11 – Aortic Resection and Anastomosis
Average Total Cost: $134,482
12 – Colostomy
Average Total Cost: $130,328
13 – Operative Procedures on Vessels of the Head/Neck
Average Total Cost: $128,215
14 – Incision/Exicision of the CNS
Average Total Cost: $125,704
15 – Ileostomy/Enterostomy
Average Total Cost: $124,538
16 – Small Bowel Resection
Average Total Cost: $122,455
17 – Bone Marrow Biopsy
Average Total Cost: $117,921
18 – Operative Therapeutic Nervous System Procedures
Average Total Cost: $116,854
19 – Operative Therapeutic Procedures on the Respiratory System
Average Total Cost: $115,243
20 – Procedures on the Spleen
Average Total Cost: $111,402
21 – Skin Graft
Average Total Cost: $110,742
22 – Operative Procedures on Vessels (Non-Head/Neck)
Average Total Cost: $110,437
23 – Operative Therapeutic Gastrointestinal Procedures
Average Total Cost: $105,794
24 – Spinal Fusion
Average Total Cost: $105,184
25 – Diagnostic Procedures on the Lungs and Bronchus
Average Total Cost: $102,547
26 – Insertion, Revision, Replacement, or Removal of Cardiac Pacemaker/Cardioverter
Average Total Cost: $101,994
27 – Exploratory Laparotomy
Average Total Cost: $99,369
28 – Diagnostic Nervous System Procedures
Average Total Cost: $98,137
29 – Injection or Ligation of Esophageal Varices
Average Total Cost: $96,422
30 – Respiratory Intubation/Mechanical Ventilation
Average Total Cost: $95,339
31 – Swan-Ganz Catheterization for Monitoring
Average Total Cost: $94,022
32 – Non-Operative Therapeutic Cardiovascular Procedures
Average Total Cost: $93,366
33 – Insertion, Replacement, or Removal of Extracranial Ventricular Shunt
Average Total Cost: $92,889
34 – Creation, Revision, and Removal of Arteriovenous Fistula or Vessel-to-Vessel Cannula for Dialysis
Average Total Cost: $90,390
35 – Repair of Retinal Tear and Detachment
Average Total Cost: $88,631
36 – Partial Excision of Bone
Average Total Cost: $86,712
37 – Gastrostomy
Average Total Cost: $86,151
38 – Peripheral Vascular Bypass
Average Total Cost: $85,122
39 – Colorectal Resection
Average Total Cost: $85,108
40 – Excision/Lysis of Peritoneal Adhesions
Average Total Cost: $83,564
41 – Lobectomy/Pneumonectomy
Average Total Cost: $82,566
42 – Diagnostic Cardiovascular Procedures
Average Total Cost: $80,176
43 – Embolectomy/Endarterectomy of the Lower Limbs
Average Total Cost: $79,731
44 – Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
Average Total Cost: $79,391
45 – Cerebral Arteriogram
Average Total Cost: $77,935
46 – Diagnostic Procedures on the Respiratory System and Mediastinum
47 – Lower Extremity Amputation
Average Total Cost: $76,415
48 – Intraoperative Cholangiogram
Average Total Cost: $76,352
49 – Enteral/Parenteral Nutrition
Average Total Cost: $75,264
50 – Contrast Aortogram
Average Total Cost: $74,880