Los Cabos has four private hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms and English-speaking doctors. Costs run 60 to 80 percent lower than the same care in the United States.
How Does the Hospital System in Los Cabos Work?
Los Cabos has two tiers of healthcare. Private hospitals handle most expat care. They accept walk-ins, take international insurance, and employ bilingual staff. Public hospitals (IMSS, ISSSTE) serve enrolled Mexican residents and legal residents with IMSS coverage. Most expats use private facilities for day-to-day care and carry IMSS as a backup.
A private ER consultation costs 500 to 800 pesos ($27 to $44 USD). A specialist visit runs 800 to 1,200 pesos ($44 to $66 USD). Private hospitals require upfront deposits before admission, sometimes 5,000 pesos for minor cases, sometimes 100,000 pesos or more for surgery or ICU stays. Bring a credit card. Cash-only situations happen but are rare at the major hospitals.
Mexico’s national emergency number is 911. It works in Los Cabos. But 911 dispatches private ambulances first, and those can be expensive. For ambulance service, call Cruz Roja (Red Cross) directly: (624) 143-3300 in Cabo San Lucas or (624) 142-0316 in San Jose del Cabo. Cruz Roja is donation-funded and will not bill you thousands for a ride.
Which Private Hospitals Serve Expats?
BlueNet Hospitals
BlueNet is the hospital most expats in Cabo San Lucas name first. It sits on the Transpeninsular Highway at Km 6.3, Colonia Cabo Bello. Phone: (624) 104-3911. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
BlueNet operates a Level I trauma center, a cardiology center, and a children’s clinic. The imaging suite includes MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy. They have an ICU, clinical laboratory, and operating rooms on site. Their partnership with Stanford School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health System gives them access to telemedicine consultations for complex cases.
Billing at BlueNet is transparent. One patient reported a full ER visit including vascular ultrasound, blood work, and two prescriptions for $427 USD total. Staff is bilingual. They dispatch their own ambulances for home visits.
Hospiten (Two Locations)
Hospiten is a Spanish hospital chain with two facilities in Los Cabos. The Cabo San Lucas location is at Carretera Transpeninsular Km 0.5, El Tezal, C.P. 23454. The San Jose del Cabo location is at Paseo de las Misiones s/n, C.P. 23400. Phone for San Jose: (624) 105-8550.
Both locations offer 24-hour emergency care, ICU, operating rooms, hemodialysis, and full imaging (MRI, CT, ultrasound). Specialties include cardiology, general surgery, gynecology, obstetrics, pediatrics, traumatology, urology, and dermatology. Hospiten follows international medical protocols and works with most major insurance companies.
The Cabo San Lucas Hospiten took over the former Amerimed facility. If you see older references to “Amerimed Cabo,” that is now Hospiten. The San Jose location is newer and tends to be less crowded.
H+ Hospital
H+ (Hospital MAC group) is at Plaza Koral Center, Carretera Transpeninsular Km 24.5, Cerro Colorado, C.P. 23406, San Jose del Cabo. Phone: (624) 104-9300.
The facility has 16 private rooms, 4 ICU cubicles, 3 operating rooms, labor and delivery rooms, and an endoscopy suite. Imaging includes MRI, CT scanner, ultrasound, digital radiology, mammography, and fluoroscopy. Over 100 affiliated specialists work through H+.
H+ sits in the Tourist Corridor between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. If you live in the hotel zone or the Corridor communities, H+ is likely your closest private hospital. They work with national and international insurance companies and post their prices in English.
A Note on St. Luke’s
St. Luke’s Medical Center operates in both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo (Ignacio Zaragoza s/n, Col. Centro, San Jose). It offers 24-hour emergency care, surgery, and specialties including bariatric surgery, oncology, and cardiology.
However, the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana issued a formal health alert about St. Luke’s business practices. The alert cited complaints from U.S. citizens about withholding care pending payment, refusing to provide itemized bills, ordering unnecessary procedures, withholding passports, obstructing medical evacuations, and refusing to discharge patients. Multiple news outlets reported on these practices. The alert remains active on the U.S. Embassy website (mx.usembassy.gov).
Some expats use St. Luke’s without incident. Others have had serious problems. The U.S. government warning exists. Factor it into your decision.
What About Public Hospitals?
IMSS operates Hospital 38 in San Jose del Cabo at Calle Tecnologico 346, Colonia Lomas de Guaymitas, C.P. 23445. If you are enrolled in IMSS, either through employment or voluntary enrollment, you can use this facility for free.
Hospital 38 is a general hospital. It handles emergencies, basic surgery, and general medicine. For complex cases, IMSS transfers patients to La Paz, a three-hour drive north. Wait times at Hospital 38 are longer than private hospitals. Facilities are more basic. But the cost is zero if you are enrolled.
A new IMSS general hospital is under construction in Los Cabos. It will have 260 beds and 46 medical specialties. The projected completion date is December 2028. Until then, Hospital 38 is the only IMSS facility in the municipality.
To schedule IMSS appointments, call the national line at 800-681-2525 (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) or use the IMSS Digital app.
What Is Coming Next?
CHRISTUS Muguerza broke ground in April 2025 on a new private hospital in the Tourist Corridor between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. The $84 million USD facility will have 72 beds, 44 medical offices, and nearly 30 specialties including cardiology, oncology, and neurosurgery. The architectural firm FR-EE (Fernando Romero Enterprise) designed the building. Opening is projected for the first half of 2028.
When CHRISTUS Muguerza opens, Los Cabos will have five private hospitals. That is a major upgrade for a municipality of 350,000 residents that currently relies on four.
What Should You Do Before You Need a Hospital?
Pick your hospital now, not in an emergency. Drive to each one. Know the route from your home. Save the phone numbers in your phone.
Carry your insurance card, a list of medications (with generic names, not brand names), and any allergy information in both English and Spanish. Mexican hospitals will treat you regardless. But having insurance information ready speeds up admission and avoids the deposit conversation.
If you take prescription medications, confirm they are available in Mexico. Most are. Some are sold over the counter here that require prescriptions in the U.S. Bring your prescriptions in their original bottles when you move. A local doctor can write you Mexican prescriptions once you establish care.
For cases Los Cabos hospitals cannot handle, the next level is La Paz, Guadalajara, or Mexico City. Medical evacuation insurance covers air transport. Companies like SkyMed and Global Rescue sell standalone medevac policies.
Healthcare facilities and costs change. This article reflects information current as of March 2026. For advice specific to your situation, consult your doctor or insurance provider directly.