www.CostaRicaTicas.com

http://www.cimamedicalvaluetravel.com

I called the number in the site above and I was told that an MRI costs $1,350 without contrast at CIMA. Thar's gold in dem dar Gringos. Those are U.S. Prices! Who keeps saying MRIs are only $200 at CIMA. How do you get that deal? I was going to come down for medical tourism, but cheaper in USA.

I think it is really dependent on what you have done. A lot of gringos come down for dental and cosmetic procedures. Why? Because their insurance company in the US doesn't cover it.

Plus you have to compare what you'd pay if you walked in off the street for a MRI vs. what the cost is that your insurance company negotiated the hospital down to.

As a comparison, Medicare pay about $700 for a MRI. But that is for the MRI alone, none of the associated physician and med tech fees. If you go in without insurance a MRI is normally going to run about $1800.

Check with Hospital La Catolica. I had an MRI done there about a year ago. I don't remember the exact price, but it was much, much cheaper than CIMA or Biblica. I want to say $400 to $500 cheaper. My orthopedist said that the quality of services at all three are comparable, but that I'd get a better price at Catolica. He didn't tell me how much better; and was I ever surprised. BTW, I don't know if he was affiliated with Catolica; but he has two offices, one near CIMA and one near Biblica.

http://www.hospitallacatolica.com/en/servicios/imagenes-medicas/magnetic-resonance-359

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It's faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money--Tom T. Hall
No man is a failure who is enjoying life--William Faulkner

Oh, wow! Thanks!

Check Nicaragua, might be around $300.

The price of the MRI is one thing.

More important is the "interpretation" of the images...... the "reading" of the MRI. You need to be sure that the Doc knows how to "read" what is seen in the pictures. How much does that cost?

Somebody on this board likes to say that you can get sex for free.... or you can pay for sex. And what you pay for is usually less costly.

Think about it.

I've never had the luxury of having a doctor with an MRI scanner onsite. Instead I see doctors that accept my insurance plan in the States, but those same doctors are usually reluctant to order too many scans and risk being audited by said insurance company.

I'm in country at the moment.

I decided to explore the options for Rolleratnight or you to get an MRI without paying gringo prices. From my research, it appears CIMA is a total rip off. If you go to their site & hit "English" you are transferred to a 3rd party domain which appears to function as a marketing entity to rip off Gringos. $1,350 for an MRI in Costa Rica. Highway robbery. Click it and watch how they transfer you to a marketing website not directly associated with the hospital. To avoid this trick, search Google for "CIMA MRI Costa Rica" and in the search results, select "Translate this Page". This will prevent the redirect to the 3rd party gringo pricing page & give you the local Tico contact telephone number.

But since we are not stupid uneducated lazy Gringos, we see through this BS Gringo pricing. So let's look at alternatives. Today I spoke with both locals & extended stay Gringo expats. While I can't provide specific MRI pricing, my sources provided me with 4 alternatives.

1 - Hospital Mexico.

A Tico told me this is the best bang for the buck. They have good reviews in general & I would recommend calling their local number & speaking Spanish to get a ballpark MRI estimate.

2 - Hospital Clinica Catolica

Also recommended by a Tico as an alternative

3 - Hospital Jersulam

Recommended by a Tico & a Gringo.

4 - Hospital Clinica Biblica.

Recommended by multiple expats with extended (7 years plus each) time in country. While this is most convenient to the Gulch, it will likely be the most expensive option.

I'd recommend calling each place before a visit. Find the pricing. Then show up in person & see if you can reduce the pricing. Most discussions on the topic show pricing in the $150 - $300 range. While I doubt anything under $300 is easily obtainable, a bit of due diligence can likely bring that silly quote from CIMA of $1,350 down into the $300 - $400 range.

Keep in mind, if you pay $1,350, you are inflating the prices for all future members. 10-30 minutes of phone calls could save you $1,000 of the rip off pricing charged by those 3rd party medical referal services.

Call all 4 option. Narrow the list. Then go save yourself $1,000 dollars. And if anyone has better information, do tell.

So there you go Maxbass...Greengo just posted his response to your informative post!

How did he know I liked pork chops so much? Though the idea of me at a weight-watchers convention is just silly...

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED