Turkey is the largest medical travel destination for cosmetic surgery and its practices quote packages rather than surgeon fees. For breast reduction specifically, the comparison a US patient should be making is unusual, because this is the one operation on this hub that a US insurer will often fund. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons publishes an average cost of breast reduction for aesthetic patients only of $7,800, and says breast reduction surgery is often covered by health insurance plans subject to approval.
Ask providers for a written price
Compare against the right US number
If your plan would cover the operation, the US comparison is your copayment and deductible, not $7,800 and not a Turkish package. ASPS is explicit that approval may involve submitting a letter and photos, and that the patient remains responsible for copayments or deductibles. Patients who price a package abroad before asking their insurer are frequently comparing a full price against a part price without knowing it.
What a package has to contain to be comparable
A US quote is a surgeon fee plus anesthesia, facility, tests, garments and prescriptions. A package abroad usually bundles those, and may add accommodation and transfers. To compare, list the six US lines and ask the overseas practice which of them the package covers. A package that excludes the facility or the anesthetist is not a package, and a package that includes a hotel is not cheaper for including it.
The costs that only appear in the travel version
Flights, the stay, time away from work, and the practical question of who manages a complication after you come home. That last one is a price question rather than a travel one: if a revision or a problem needs treating in the United States, it is treated at US prices and by a surgeon who did not perform the operation. Ask both practices, in writing, what their arrangements are.
Questions people ask about breast reduction Turkey
Is breast reduction cheaper in Turkey?
Packages are generally quoted below US prices, but the right US comparison for many patients is a copayment and deductible rather than the full self-pay price, because ASPS says the operation is often covered by insurance.
What is the published US price?
The ASPS average cost of breast reduction for aesthetic patients only is $7,800, a surgeon fee excluding anesthesia, facility and related expenses.
What should a package include?
Ask it to be mapped against the six US cost lines: surgeon, anesthesia, facility, tests, garments and prescriptions.
Who handles a complication after I fly home?
A question to settle in writing with both the overseas practice and a US surgeon before booking, because treatment at home is at US prices.