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What is the Average Heart Attack Treatment Cost in India?
The average cost of treating a heart attack ranges from ₹2.5 lakh to ₹6 lakh in India. It includes the costs of hospitalisation, emergency care, medicines, diagnostic tests, and required procedures. The treatment cost may increase to ₹8 lakh to ₹10 lakh in serious cases requiring ICU care. If surgeries like heart transplants are required, the cost can go up to ₹32 lakh or more.
Generally, tier I cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai have higher treatment costs owing to higher hospital operating costs, advanced cardiac care facilities, and expert specialists. The same treatment may be available at lower prices in Tier-II or Tier-III Indian cities.
Cost Breakdown of Heart Attack Treatments in India
The treatment for a heart attack depends on whether the blood flow to the heart is partially or completely blocked. Initial treatment usually includes medicines to dissolve blood clots, relieve chest pain, reduce the heart's workload, and prevent further clot formation. If required, procedures such as angioplasty, stenting, or bypass surgery are performed.
Tabulated below are the different types of heart attack treatments and their associated costs:
| Treatment Type | Approximate Cost |
| Coronary Angiography | ₹8,000 to ₹25,000 |
| Coronary Angioplasty | ₹1 lakh to ₹2.8 lakh |
| Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting or CABG | ₹1.2 lakh to ₹4.4 lakh |
| Heart Angiogram | ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 |
| Open Heart Surgery | ₹2 lakh to ₹5.5 lakh |
| Pacemaker Surgery | ₹45,000 to ₹1.5 lakh |
| Heart Valve Replacement Surgery | ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh |
| Heart Transplant Surgery | ₹18.5 lakh to ₹32 lakh and above |
Apart from emergency treatment and surgery for a heart attack, you also have to incur additional expenses for diagnostic tests, specialist consultations, medicines, and follow-up cardiac evaluations. Doctors may recommend investigations such as ECG, blood tests, angiography, and other heart function tests. These expenses can go up to ₹15,000 or more, depending on the doctor's recommendations.
The breakdown of these additional diagnostic costs for heart attack treatment is as follows:
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Consultation Fees of Doctors: ₹500 to ₹4,000 per visit
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ECG: ₹500 to ₹1,000
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Treadmill Test or TMT: ₹2,000 to ₹3,500
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2D Echo: ₹1,200 to ₹2,500
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Holter Monitoring: ₹3,000 to ₹5,000
Disclaimer: The treatment costs mentioned above are estimated. The actual costs may vary.
Factors That Affect Heart Attack Treatment Cost
Treatment of a heart attack involves emergency treatment and ongoing medical care. This means that the overall cost of treatment can vary widely. The most important factors influencing the cost of heart attack treatment are:
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Severity of the Condition The extent of arterial blockage is one of the most important factors affecting heart attack treatment costs. If you have partial blockages, you may only require medicines or angioplasty, while complete or multiple blockages often require more complex treatments such as bypass surgery or open heart surgery. These surgeries are expensive and may require intensive care and longer treatment, increasing overall treatment costs.
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Type of Surgery The type of heart surgery recommended by the doctors majorly affects the overall heart attack treatment cost. Surgeries like angioplasty with stenting are generally less expensive. However, complex procedures like bypass surgery and open heart surgeries are quite costly due to higher surgical, hospitalisation, and recovery costs.
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City of Treatment Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru tend to have higher heart attack treatment costs due to higher operational expenses and the availability of advanced cardiac care facilities.
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Expertise of the Cardiologist Highly experienced cardiologists and cardiac surgeons often charge higher consultation and procedure fees. Their expertise, along with the hospital's reputation, can increase the overall heart attack treatment cost.
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Complications Sometimes complications such as cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, heart failure, arrhythmias, or other life-threatening conditions after a heart attack require emergency interventions, admission to intensive care units, and additional procedures. Treatment of these heart attack complications can substantially increase the total treatment cost.
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Duration of Recovery Many hospitalisation expenses, such as ICU charges, nursing charges, and room rent, are billed daily. The longer you need hospitalisation for your heart attack treatment, the higher the medical costs tend to be. Costs such as medicines, follow-up consultations, diagnostic tests, and cardiac rehabilitation also increase if the recovery period is prolonged.
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Choice of Hospital The cost of heart attack treatment also varies from hospital to hospital. For example, hospitals specialising in cardiac treatment, expert care from doctors, advanced surgical procedures, and better amenities can charge more than regular hospitals. The charges also depend on room category, ICU facilities, technology and level of care.
Does Health Insurance Cover Heart Attack Treatment?
Yes. Most health insurance plans cover heart attack treatment. Coverage includes day care procedures like coronary angiography, in-patient hospitalisation expenses, ambulance charges, and pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses. The exact coverage may vary from one health plan to another.
If you were diagnosed with a heart condition before the policy commenced, it is considered a pre-existing condition. In this case, a PED waiting period of up to 3 years has to be served before treatment becomes eligible for coverage.
Many insurers also offer critical illness insurance plans that provide a lump-sum payout to the insured in case of a heart attack. This payout can be used to cover treatment costs or substitute for lost income. However, to make a claim, you have to complete a waiting period of up to 90 days and a survival period of up to 30 days.
Heart attack treatment can be costly, especially when procedures like angioplasty or bypass surgery are required. Choosing a health insurance coverage of at least ₹20 lakh is advisable. Older people, those who have a family history of heart disease, or those who have other health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure, should consider choosing a higher sum insured.
Note: Review the policy documents to understand coverage details, as they may differ by plan.
How to Reduce Out-of-Pocket Heart Attack Expenses?
Although heart attack treatment can be expensive, there are several ways to reduce your out-of-pocket medical expenses and manage the financial burden more effectively. Here are some of them:
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Maximise Health Insurance Coverage Make the most of your health insurance coverage by claiming all eligible expenses during your heart attack treatment. Apart from hospitalisation costs, policies may also cover pre-hospitalisation expenses, post-hospitalisation costs, ambulance charges, diagnostic tests, medicines, and other such expenses, bringing the out-of-pocket expenses down.
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Opt for a Cashless Treatment Cashless treatment substantially reduces your out-of-pocket costs during a medical emergency like a heart attack. With cashless treatment, the insurer directly settles eligible bills with the hospital, so that you do not need to dip into savings or arrange large sums of money upfront.
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Use Government Insurance Schemes You can avail coverage for heart attack treatment under government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), if eligible. The scheme offers health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family for eligible hospitalisation expenses, including emergency cardiac treatment. The government in your state may also offer schemes that cover heart attack treatment costs. Enquire at the hospital to see if you are eligible for any of them.
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Choose the Right Hospital Room Most health insurance policies include coverage for general, private and semi-private hospital rooms. Often, the price for deluxe and suite rooms is excluded. Select the type of room included under your health plan during heart attack treatment to avoid paying extra.
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Compare Hospital Charges Prices for heart surgery, ICU stays, and other procedures can vary widely between different hospitals. If the situation is not life-threatening immediately after stabilisation, comparing treatment costs at reputable hospitals may help reduce heart attack treatment expenses without compromising quality.
FAQs
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Q1. How much does it cost to treat a heart attack in India?
Ans: The average cost of treatment of a heart attack in India is between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹6 lakh. The treatment includes hospitalisation, medicines, diagnostic tests and procedures such as angioplasty or bypass surgery. In extreme cases where patients need prolonged ICU care or surgeries like open heart surgery or a heart transplant, the cost of treatment can go up to ₹32 lakh. -
Q2. What is the cost of heart attack-related surgeries?
Ans: The cost of surgery after a heart attack depends on the type of surgery. The cost of angioplasty can range from ₹1 lakh to ₹2.8 lakh, and bypass surgery can cost ₹1.2 lakh to ₹4.4 lakh. Heart transplants are expensive options costing up to ₹32 lakh. -
Q3. How much does a heart bypass surgery cost in India?
Ans: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), in general, costs between ₹1.2 lakh and ₹4.4 lakh. The exact cost may change depending on the hospital, city, surgeon’s experience and the patient’s condition after a heart attack.
