Year to year, more and more Americans combine their Costa Rica vacations with medical care in that Central American country.
Why? Because they are onto the fact that medical care in Costa Rica is now equal to that of the best clinics and hospitals in the United States but at a fraction of the cost.
Only the top hospitals around the globe are certified and have Joint Commission International Accreditation, meaning that that they meet the most rigorous international benchmarks for hospital standards and patient care.
Of the tens of thousands of hospitals worldwide, only a relative handful achieve the JCIA distinction—which brings us to Costa Rica medical tourism.
Lovely Costa Rica, sometimes described as”the Switzerland of Central America,” lies just a few hour flight from the U.S. One of the oldest democracies in Latin and South America, it was discovered and named by Christopher Columbus more than five centuries ago. Though it encompasses about 1/10,000 of the world’s surface, it contains a staggering 5% of all the globe’s species of plants and animals and has been a popular ecotourism destination for several years.
However, in addition to enjoying its magnificent beaches along two coasts, mighty volcanoes, great fishing and other outdoor activities, visitors have discovered that they can get very inexpensive yet world-class medical care with savings that more than pay for their Costa Rica vacation.
Indeed, more than 25,000 people, predominantly Americans, travel to this little country annually for Costa Rica medical tourism.
The reason? Because they can find savings of up to 65% in Costa Rica for the identical services they would receive in the United States—if they had the money.
Three Costa Rica hospitals are accredited by JCI. Those hospitals are La Clinica Biblica, Cima, and La Catolica, all in or very near to San Jose. Each has a wide range of medical services and Board Certified doctors at great prices.
Here is one example. For patients without health insurance, total knee replacement surgery in the U.S. can cost $25,000-$35,000 or more. That same surgery at Clinica Biblica is less than $12,000.
The three Costa Rica internationally accredited medical hospitals and board certified physicians—many who have studied and trained in the United States and at other world renowned universities—typically charge about $3,200 for breast augmentation. Lasik eye surgery that can cost up to $5,000 in the States is often less than $2,000 in the little Central America country.
And, soon, this world-class medical care in Costa Rica will be available on Costa Rica’s spectacular North Pacific Gold Coast. Renowned Cima Hospital has recently announced it’s developing a $125,000,000 project close to Liberia International Airport (just minutes to fabulous Gold Coast beaches) that will include a new hospital facility and residential center, with the hospital scheduled to open in 2011.