What an upper endoscopy costs: United States vs. other countries
An examination of the throat, stomach and upper bowel with a camera, including a biopsy.
Typical price paid to hospitals and doctors for an upper endoscopy, from one report on the same basis: $943 in the United States, $1,526 in the United Kingdom, $286 in Germany, $1,089 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 | $943 (iFHP) | With Medicare and no extra insurance: $123 at a surgery center or $209 at a hospital, on average (with a biopsy) (Medicare.gov) | Not yet sourced |
| Canada | $92.50 in Canadian dollars, not converted: the doctor’s fee in Ontario for a planned upper endoscopy; biopsies add $15.10. Hospital costs not included (Ontario) | No charge for medically necessary hospital and doctor care (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| United Kingdom | $1,526 (iFHP) | No charge. NHS care is free when you use it (Commonwealth Fund) | 28.1% of people waiting had waited 6 weeks or more (England) (NHS England) |
| France | €853.72: the set payment to a public hospital, same-day care, for a diagnostic digestive endoscopy with anaesthesia (ATIH) | National insurance pays 70% of an outpatient visit (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| Germany | $286 (iFHP) | Co-payments are capped at 2% of gross income a year (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| Japan | ¥11,400 for the examination and ¥3,100 for a biopsy: national fees, not added up. Lab fees are separate (MHLW Japan) | 30% of the bill for most adults, with a monthly cap (Commonwealth Fund) | Not yet sourced |
| Australia | $1,089 (iFHP) | Not yet sourced | Not yet sourced |
Where no sourced figure exists, the cell says so. We do not fill gaps with estimates.