This post was inspired by a true story and the numbers are all real…

A friend of mine I will call “Mark” began suffering from moderate low back and neck pain. Occasionally the pain would shoot down an arm or leg. He went to see his doctor who ordered two MRI’s at a local hospital. “Mark” is a self-made millionaire and as such, finds health insurance to be unnecessary opting instead to pay his bills himself.  “Mark” decided to shop around for a bargain, and he found one… in Mumbai, India.  Here are the numbers.

$3700: The cost for MRI’s of the Cervical and Lumbar spine in an American hospital.

Compared to:

$100: The same MRI’s in a hospital in Mumbai, India by American trained physicians.

$1080: Round trip tickets to Mumbai, India.

$340: One week stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Mumbai.

Total Cost for an MRI vacation to India: $1520

Total savings for a patient willing to take a vacation to India and outsource their medical care vs going to the American hospital 3 blocks away: $2180