[MikeC]

I was quoted $13,000 for the ProDisc itself and then of course the surgeon's charge on top of that. If you are doing a hybrid procedure, (fusion at one level + ADR at another), the cost of implanting the disc is incremental. Here was my point about the cost of the implant itelf. The word "hip" can be replaced with knee or other body part:

NY Times; Aug 3, 2013: In Need of a New Hip, but Priced Out of the U.S.

"Makers of artificial implants — the biggest single cost of most joint replacement surgeries — have proved particularly adept at commanding inflated prices, according to health economists. Multiple intermediaries then mark up the charges. While Mr. Shopenn was offered an implant in the United States for $13,000, many privately insured patients are billed two to nearly three times that amount.

An artificial hip, however, costs only about $350 to manufacture in the United States, according to Dr. Blair Rhode, an orthopedist and entrepreneur whose company is developing generic implants. In Asia, it costs about $150, though some quality control issues could arise there, he said."