[JL]

There has to be a middle man in the USA resulting in the Disc Markup to $ 11,000 which from all of my conversations in January and Feb. was Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price. Anything retail big ticket from my experience (except jewelry which is 3x Mfg. cost or industry term 3 key) has (2) twenty five percent markups before retail level. To calculate a 25% markup multiple cost by 1.33 unless you have a markup calculator key. To figure cost at 25% markup, divide by 1.33. Please feel free to add extraneous costs like profit gouging to any of these figures. So take the $11,000 retail for one implant and divide by 1.33 twice and that equals $ 6,218 manufacturers cost of goods. Of course it could be worse (more profit) than this because I am sure Judy's' discs were not sold at cost. I am not the one defending insurance companies, you know that, but this is the same problem of overcharging I am sure they and Medicare are fighting over. In new product development it is called skimming and always has been and always will be the fact.