[Texas-T]

I went to NY for my surgery and flew home to Texas after... my insurance company, Aetna, paid the same amounts in NY as in TX. I did this because I couldn't wait any longer for the surgery and I liked the doctor in NY a great deal. I was able to get a surgery day within a month.

The thing that killed was the cost of the hotel and flight. I had to stay in the city for 10 days post-op which really added up.... Plano, TX (where TBI is) has a lot of decent priced hotels that you could negoiate a good rate with for your long stay. If you do travel, you must have someone with you the entire time and you need a hotel room with a fridge. The 4 hr flight home was horrible....

Also, you will have to find a local doctor in NC who is familiar with the disc to do your post-op's. Your local guy may not be willing to help if he doesn't do the surgery. Instead of flying to NY every few months for my post-op's I drive from Houston to TBI.

It's a lot to consider... 70 sounds good to me... I don't think many doctors have done more than a hundred.

Good luck!