Calvin,
Check this link out:
Carl Lauryssen M.D. | spinal Neurosurgeon in Los Angeles | Beverly Hills
This doctor is in Beverly Hills but he has the most experience of any U.S. surgeon I know of who use the M6 disc. This disc, from what I've read on these posts, most mimics the real thing. It has a "shock absorber" quality in the middle, unlike many of the others. Ironically the M6 is produced in Sunnyvale, CA but has not been approved by the FDA, yet has been used in Europe for over a decade with great success.
From reading these posts and personal research, the best ADR physicians in the U.S. seem to be Dr. Lauryssen, Dr Jack Zigler of the Texas Back Institute, and Dr. Rami in Baltimore. It's important to note that Dr. Lauryssen is the only one who will work "off-label" with the M6 disc and this will not be covered by insurance. The other surgeons will work with FDA approved discs which may or may not be covered by insurance. Even though some discs are FDA approved, insurance companies still consider ADR's to be "experimental". It's kind of ironic that there not covering ADR which costs much less than fusions and seems to have better results over the long-term.
If you're willing to do this without the expectation of insurance coverage and can manage to pay $40K, there are some great surgeons in Europe. The three best seem to be Dr. Bierstedt in Germany, Dr. Pablo Clavel in Barcelona, and Mr. Christopher Dare in Southampton, UK.
I hope this helps you a little. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!
Gene