Hospital stays in private rooms in Belgium have reached unprecedented costs, with insurance coverage increasingly failing to cover all expenses, according to various sources in Belgian media.
Data from the Intermutualist Agency (IMA), compiled by CM Health Fund, reveals the average out-of-pocket costs for patients across 20 common procedures in Belgian hospitals.
Luc Van Gorp, chair of CM, explained that hospitals and doctors charge additional fees for private rooms, known as supplements, which are on top of official rates. In shared rooms, these charges are prohibited, though patients may still face high bills for non-reimbursed items like implants.
Figures show stark contrasts: a routine appendix removal costs a patient an average of €328 in a shared room but €1,325 in a private room. Similarly, a gastric bypass costs €1,317 in a shared room and €4,902 in a private room.
These supplemental fees, which hospitals set independently, are the primary reason costs skyrocket for private-room stays.
