Heart Beat

Canada chills bypass costs

Bypass surgery, like prescription drugs, costs less in Canada. A typical coronary artery bypass operation north of the border costs about half of what it does in the United States, with essentially the same results, according to a first-ever comparison published in the July 11, 2005, Archives of Internal Medicine. American doctors tend to order more tests than their Canadian counterparts, which adds to the cost of bypass surgery. Everything from aspirin to surgical beds also cost more in the United States.