Before paying a deposit for treatment abroad, ask for a written estimate that separates the proposed care from travel and support costs. Mark anything that is still provisional. A clear estimate helps you ask better questions; it does not establish whether treatment is appropriate or guarantee the final bill.
Use this checklist for a consultation, test or procedure in Mexico or Costa Rica. For implants, our dental implant quote guide goes into the dental details.
Click or tap to compare the known costs in two estimates. The worksheet keeps unknown charges visible and does not convert currencies.
Identify the proposal
Record the provider, named clinician, facility, proposed treatment, currency, date and estimate expiry. Ask which examination or information is still needed before the clinician can confirm the plan. Keep a price offered before an assessment separate from the clinician’s final recommendation.
Separate included, excluded and undecided costs
- Clinical charges: ask whether the stated price includes the consultation, tests, professional fees, facility charges, anesthesia if applicable, any implant, lens or device, medicines and supplies. Who bills each part?
- Follow-up: ask which reviews are included, where they occur, and what later appointments or care at home may cost.
- Travel and support: list accommodation, transport, interpretation, accompanying-person expenses and any agreed nursing or personal assistance separately.
- Changes: ask what happens financially if the clinician changes the plan, postpones treatment, recommends another visit or extends the stay.
These are questions to ask, not a claim that every item applies to every treatment. Do not count a service as included because a brochure calls the offer a package. Ask for its scope in writing.
Clarify payment before paying
Ask who receives the deposit, when the balance is due, what payment methods and currency are accepted, and whether taxes or payment charges are additional. Request cancellation, refund and rescheduling terms, including what happens if the clinical assessment means treatment will not proceed. Keep the written terms and receipts somewhere private.
Ask separately about the process and financial responsibility if a complication occurs. An included routine review does not establish that further treatment, hospital care or an extended stay is included. Discuss insurance questions with the insurer using the actual planned treatment and policy.
Compare the same scope
Put each estimate into three short lists: included, excluded and not yet confirmed. Compare providers only after resolving material differences. For example, one may quote only the procedure while another includes assessment and local reviews. Do not turn an unconfirmed item into a zero cost.
Keep a separate travel budget and a contingency list for items that are not yet priced. Ask the provider and other services to clarify extra nights, additional appointments and support if plans change. See our trip-disruption checklist.
A message you can adapt
Before I pay, please send a dated estimate in [currency] identifying the proposed care, provider and facility.
- Please separate included charges, exclusions and items that depend on assessment.
- What could change the price, who bills each part, and what are the deposit, cancellation, refund and rescheduling terms?
- Please also explain follow-up charges and the process if additional care is needed.
Your next step
If you have not yet had a consultation, use our consultation-preparation questions. Discuss the proposed care with an appropriate clinician, settle the unresolved estimate questions, then record the answers in the Planning Care Abroad workbook. Do not send us your medical records or financial details.
Compare the known costs in two estimates
Use this to add the known amounts in each estimate, then ask about the missing costs. The two proposals may describe different care. A lower subtotal does not establish equivalent treatment, quality or suitability.
Enter amounts in the same chosen currency. Convert them yourself first if necessary, and record the rate and date in your private notes. This tool does not convert currencies. Leave an unknown cost blank; enter 0 only when you have established that there is no charge. Avoid counting a deposit again when it is already part of the quoted price.
Put each cost in only one row. If a package already includes accommodation, transfers or clinical reviews in its clinical price, confirm whether any separate charge remains before filling those rows. If the provider confirms no separate charge, enter 0 in that row. Do not add zeros just to complete the comparison.
Use the same currency and a decimal point. Blank means unknown; 0 means confirmed no separate charge.
This tool does not send or save your entries. Keep any completed notes private.
Quote A
Quote B
Keep assessment, cancellation, refund and aftercare questions alongside these amounts. An entered number is not evidence that the provider has confirmed it. Use the Planning Care Abroad workbook to record the written answers.
Source and scope
CDC medical-tourism guidance provides the wider care-abroad context. This checklist and comparison method are Fruitful Years editorial tools. Checked October 6, 2026. This page does not establish prices, savings, insurance coverage, contractual rights or clinical suitability.
FREE PLANNING WORKBOOK
Keep your care-abroad questions together.
This workbook was developed for dental travel. Its proposal, budget and contact sections may help with other planned-care questions; ask your usual clinician which sections apply. It is a private planning record, not clinical instructions.
Fill it in on your device, or print it and write by hand. Keep completed copies private.