The Health Blog

The health care costs of abdominal, vaginal and laparoscopically assisted hysterectomies are comparable. However the reduced recovery time of the latter approach promises considerable benefits to women, their families and employers.

An economic evaluation that compared the costs of abdominal hysterectomy and endometrial resection in England for the four months up to and including surgery, found total costs for the former were nearly twice that of the latter. The authors suggested, however, this was not the end of the story:

Given the fact that a subgroup of women requires re-treatment due to resection failure and that this study considers a relatively short period of follow-up, the long-term costs and benefits of endometrial resection need to be evaluated before widespread diffusion is justified.

The all-up cost of an abdominal hysterectomy in Australia in 1993 was about $5000, and for a vaginal hysterectomy it was considerably less at $3550. The cost of a laparoscopically assisted hysterectomy was about $5700, of which almost $1200 was for disposable instruments. Women who do not have private health insurance and whose hysterectomy is carried out in a public hospital ca*n expect to pay nothing. Women with private health insurance can expect to pay $500 or more, regardless of whether they attend a public or private hospital. Their payment will depend on their level of insurance and the fees charged by their surgeon and anaesthetist. Uninsured patients having a hysterectomy in a private hospital face payments of $2500 to $3000.

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