What gallbladder removal costs: United States vs. other countries
Keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder, with no complications.
Typical price paid to hospitals and doctors for gallbladder removal, from one report on the same basis: $17,817 in the United States, $5,942 in the United Kingdom, $4,196 in Germany, $4,479 in Australia. Source: International Health Care Cost Comparison Report 2024 (Report dated October 2024. Prices are for 2022.). These are not what one patient was charged; what patients pay is in the table.
| Country | Price paid to the hospital | What a patient usually pays | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $17,817 (iFHP) | $569 on average with employer insurance, when done as same-day surgery (2017) (Annals of Surgery) | 40% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Canada | $5,556 in Canada’s own figures, not converted: the hospital’s cost for the stay, doctors’ fees not included (CIHI) | No charge for medically necessary hospital and doctor care (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| United Kingdom | $5,942 (iFHP) | No charge. NHS care is free when you use it (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| France | €2,724.82: the set payment to a public hospital for the stay, simplest cases (ATIH) | National insurance pays 80% of a hospital stay (Commonwealth Fund) | 35% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Germany | $4,196 (iFHP) | €10 a day in hospital, for at most 28 days a year (BMG Germany) | 50% of adults who needed non-emergency surgery had it within a month of being told they needed it (all kinds of surgery, 2023 survey) (Commonwealth Fund) |
| Japan | ¥215,000: the national fee for keyhole gallbladder removal alone. The hospital stay, anaesthesia and materials are paid separately (MHLW Japan) | 30% of the bill for most adults, with a monthly cap (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| Australia | $4,479 (iFHP) | No charge in a public hospital (Commonwealth Fund) | Half of patients waited 48 days or less in public hospitals (Productivity Commission) |
Where no sourced figure exists, the cell says so. We do not fill gaps with estimates.