Why go out of U.S. if paying either way?

[JJames]

Hello all,

It's been quite some time since I've posted, although I visit almost daily. Due to circumstances which would take too long to write, I've definitely made up my mind (along with the suggestion by my PC doc) that I must have some sort of surgical solution performed if I am going to ever make the change from surviving to actually living again. I have attempted all conservative measures which have been presented to me.

I am uncertain what I will discover as I revisit surgeons who I've seen before, and get opinions from some others as to which surgery (bi-level ADR, bi-level fusion, or a hybrid surgery) may be correct for me. Dr. Yue at Yale New Haven, CT had wanted to perform the Pro-Disc bi-level ADR years ago, but my medical insurance refused to pay.

Paying out-of-pocket was an option for the bi-level ADR here is the U.S. What advantages or reasons are there for going overseas? Please forgive my ignorance if the answer is obvious and I am simply uneducated in this matter. Is the actual surgical procedure less expensive outside the U.S.? Do the savings warrant the travel expenses and the additional risks? Are the surgeons better? I guess I'm just sort of confused, but need to restart my search for the correct resolution.

Thank you all - Jeff

[annapurna]

The US's lovely sue-happy legal system and consumers of said legal system has raised costs for procedures when compared with countries that aren't as easy to sue within. That's both a benefit for going overseas, lower cost, and a threat, inability to seek recompense for a screwed-up surgery. Rich talks more about the threat in another thread.

To offset it, I've lost track of how many thousand ADRs Zeeger's installed and Bertagnoli has the reputation of trying the difficult and unusual and making it work for patients. Pimenta was in the initial facet replacement trials. There's a whole lot more, in my opinion, experience outside of the country. If you're really pushing the limits of what can be done, that experience might be necessary for you.

Remember, though, the initial posters here and on older boards were going overseas because ADR wasn't available or wasn't easily available in the US. We found good surgeons and talked them up. Others followed and that tended to set a tone. Rich has actually been beating the drum for the local folks for a while.