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What the HSE pays back for each treatment
Under the Cross Border Directive the HSE pays you back what your treatment would cost in the Irish public system, and never more than you paid. This page shows that cost for each treatment we help with, taken from the HSE’s own price list.
The rule
You pay the hospital first. After the treatment the HSE pays you back the lower of two amounts: what the hospital charged you, or what the same treatment costs in the Irish public system. If the hospital charges more than the Irish cost, you pay the difference yourself.
The refund does not cover travel, accommodation, translation or a companion’s costs, and it never covers a fee to a company that arranges treatment. That is why you pay Ablement nothing: the hospital pays us.
A day case or a stay in hospital
The HSE has one price for each type of treatment, with two figures: one for a day case, when you go home the same day, and one for a stay in hospital. Which figure applies depends on how the treatment would be done in Ireland, not on how the hospital abroad does it.
The HSE gives your treatment its code after the treatment, from your diagnosis and what was done. The figures below are for the code most treatments of each kind get, without major complications, and for a stay of the usual length.
The Irish public cost, treatment by treatment
| Treatment | Day case | With a hospital stay |
|---|---|---|
| Hip replacement | €8,804 | €15,523 |
| Knee replacement | €9,401 | €16,196 |
| Knee arthroscopy | €3,204 | €5,704 |
| Shoulder surgery | €6,180 | €9,590 |
| Spinal surgery: decompression or disc | €4,987 | €11,820 |
| Spinal surgery: fusion | €13,927 | €22,476 |
| Hernia repair | €5,352 | €9,241 |
| Gallbladder removal | €10,091 | €10,091 |
| Hysterectomy | €8,856 | €14,189 |
| Prostate surgery | €4,698 | €9,193 |
| Cataract surgery | €1,081 | €5,215 |
| Tonsil surgery | €2,635 | €6,509 |
| Nose and sinus surgery | €7,015 | €11,037 |
| Septoplasty | €5,479 | €9,198 |
| Varicose vein treatment | €2,004 | €8,091 |
| Carpal tunnel release | €1,621 | €4,497 |
| Weight-loss surgery | No day case price | €14,052 |
| Breast reduction | €2,819 | €11,490 |
| Bunion surgery | €4,687 | €9,079 |
| Ovarian cyst removal | €3,591 | €5,454 |
| Colonoscopy | €1,029 | €5,296 |
| Gastroscopy | €746 | €4,272 |
Take these figures as a guide. The HSE decides the amount when it assesses your claim. Before you decide anything, we show you the Irish figure for your treatment and the hospital’s fixed price side by side, in writing.
Outpatient appointments
For an outpatient appointment on its own, such as a consultation, the HSE pays back up to €194 a day for appointments from 1 May 2023.
When the money comes
The claim is made after the treatment, and the money is paid to you only, into your own account. The HSE paid refunds in 45 days on average in 2024. The documents the claim needs are listed on Your rights.
Kaare Beck-Fischer
Chief Executive Officer