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Originally Posted by JeffR
Don't feel too bad I don't think you would have found the U.S. surgeries outside your area to be cost competitive with Europe.
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An indirect cost for me is the logistics of being so far away for two weeks. I have two young kids so leaving them is complicated. That made me hesitate for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffR
Part of the problem with the U.S. system is the ridiculous charges various providers make to each other. I had a discogram done through TBI for $3,000. Which was a lot but it wasn't killer. When I got invoiced the anesthesiologist tried to charge me $17,000 for 1/2 general anesthetic - when I called them up they said it was their standard rate (I won in the end BTW and only paid the $1,500 that I owed them). It's just crazy...
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I didn't know how much of a hassle is to deal with medical billing and the negotiation aspects of health care. The experience feels similar to buying a car. I was oblivious to all this because, up until now, I would use insurance.
My insurance would actually cover a ProDisc if in network. I contacted Synthes patient assistance and they helped to look for doctors in my network. However, there was only one Doctor in my network and I wasn't comfortable with his experience level.
BTW,this month's Time magazine has a in depth article about the economics of our health care.
Pretty good read:
Inside ‘Bitter Pill’: Steven Brill Discusses His TIME Cover Story | TIME.com