The US is #1 in the world (in hip replacement surgery costs)

The US has the highest cost for this procedure (and almost all other) on the face of the earth. Even in the US the costs can swing wildly.

The story is not about why the costs are so high, they are stating costs and actually give the "medical consumer" info on medical tourism, that will balloon much much more if the US doesn't get it's medical house in order.

In the United States, the cost of a hip replacement can vary wildly from state to state. In Birmingham, Alabama, for instance, a hip replacement can be found for approximately $20,000, whilst in New York the average cost of a hip replacement is closer to $60,000.

Huge price fluctuations can also be seen in states like Massachusetts, where a variation of as much as 313% can be found. The cost of hip replacement surgery in the US will usually be covered partially by medical insurance, but is only fully covered in cases where a replacement is absolutely necessary to prevent the overall health of the patient deteriorating.

www.medigo.com...


America beat out Germany in costs, impressive.

Hip replacement in Germany from $7,979
Hip replacement in India from $4,996
Hip replacement in France from $11,748
Hip replacement in Spain from $7,865
Hip replacement in the United Arab Emirates from $10,992
Hip replacement in Thailand from $5,647
Hip replacement in Mexico from $2,589
Hip replacement in Turkey from $10,765
Hip replacement in Poland from $6,814

See, our medical industry is best at something. Charging.

a reply to: rickymouse

And # 30(ish) in patient outcomes.

That's why we don't need every American to have affordable insurance.
We need American healthcare to be affordable.

a reply to: seasonal

At least they throw in the cute nurse and dilaudid. Kind of a package deal

a reply to: Bluntone22

Someone is going to get less $$$$. How do you think that will go?

a reply to: seasonal


When the goverment poked it's nose in college loans, college tuition went up.
Same thing happened with insurance and doctors.

a reply to: Bluntone22

That is fine, but who in the whole medical system is going to get less money?

And didn't this all start when medical insurance was a benefit added because wages were froze during WW II?

a reply to: seasonal

Lawyers and administration

I had my first hip replacement 20 years ago. I have to get another one, but even with insurance, I can't justify the cost. So, I do what I can with a cane until it absolutely HAS to be done. In the last 5 years alone I've had a second knee replacement and a total foot reconstruction. My kids call me RoboMom, lol. I'm tired of paying medical bills. I'm sure I'm not the only one here. It just sucks.

I guess I'll go to India or Mexico to get my hip replaced. Taking bets on whether the parts come from a toaster over, human being, or both. Be back in another couple months for parasite removal.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
That's why we don't need every American to have affordable insurance.
We need American healthcare to be affordable.

I don't know, but rest of the world doesn't have to care how much hip replacement costs because we have affordable insurance.

And because we have affordable insurance these prices can't skyrocket because they are limited with money insurance "companies" are collecting.

a reply to: seasonal

I had a friend do a hip replacement in Bangkok Thailand and he was playing golf within 6 weeks. He was 72 at the time of the hip replacement.. Also his cost was slightly less than what the OP listed. People from all over the world fly to different countries to do surgery especially if it is an elective procedure after checking prices, wait times, and word of mouth. We in the USA have been ripped off in many ways but medical cost are right up there at the top.

I had my teeth checked and cleaned last month and even had an X-ray... total cost was $14.75 us dollars. There are many places I would go for a medical procedure but the USA is not on my to go list.

Wow .. in NZ you can go on around 1yr waiting list to see a specialist and then if he thinks you need a replacement then another 1yr or so waiting list to get it done free or pay around $30000 to go private and get it done really quickly..

This is not really a surprise, is it?

It is widely known that the US health system is vastly expensive. Sadly, money does not buy quality as the US has lower clinical outcomes than other advanced developed nations, along a range of key indicators.

Why is the US health system so expensive? Well, it's all down to the fact that Americans pay insurance into commercial organisations. For about a third of Americans who cannot afford insurance there's a sub-optimal state-funded fall-back, which is still expensive by equivalent standards. Commercial organisations are beholden to shareholders rather patients.

It's a salutary lesson for the ideologues. In healthcare the "socialist" model, such as the NHS in the UK is half as expensive and with better outcomes than the "free market" capitalist proposition in the US.

Except with insurance the avg hip replacement is about $3,000, which when you consider technology and education is a pretty good deal.

a reply to: seasonal

this has a lot to do with cost of medical procedures. sue sue sue.

a reply to: seasonal

Don't cost anything in the U.K down to national insurance.

So we still have that going for us.

Sure the Conservatives will change that at some future date all the same.

So does anyone on ATS personally know ANYONE that has paid $20,000 to get a hip replacement? My insurance isn't the best, and even it has a $12,000 cap per year for all medical costs (meaning once I've paid a total of $12,000 out of pocket that year for that individual everything else is covered 100%). The closest example I have is a coworker got a knee replacement a couple months back and paid $1,200 out of pocket.

I'll be getting my right hip replaced sometime this year.
I'll be getting it done in a private hospital in the UK paid for by the NHS at a cost of around £10,000.
I will be precisely £0 out of pocket for it (although I have paid my National Insurance for over thirty years!).