In Need of a New Hip, but Priced Out of the U.S.

[Purveyor]

WARSAW, Ind. — Michael Shopenn’s artificial hip was made by a company based in this remote town, a global center of joint manufacturing. But he had to fly to Europe to have it installed.

Mr. Shopenn, 67, an architectural photographer and avid snowboarder, had been in such pain from arthritis that he could not stand long enough to make coffee, let alone work. He had health insurance, but it would not cover a joint replacement because his degenerative disease was related to an old sports injury, thus considered a pre-existing condition.

Desperate to find an affordable solution, he reached out to a sailing buddy with friends at a medical device manufacturer, which arranged to provide his local hospital with an implant at what was described as the “list price” of $13,000, with no markup. But when the hospital’s finance office estimated that the hospital charges would run another $65,000, not including the surgeon’s fee, he knew he had to think outside the box, and outside the country.

--CLIP
“Very leery” of going to a developing country like India or Thailand, which both draw so-called medical tourists, he ultimately chose to have his hip replaced in 2007 at a private hospital outside Brussels for $13,660. That price included not only a hip joint, made by Warsaw-based Zimmer Holdings, but also all doctors’ fees, operating room charges, crutches, medicine, a hospital room for five days, a week in rehab and a round-trip ticket from America.

MORE...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/health/for-medical-tourists-simple-math.html?pagewanted=all

[matt819]

1. Read the entire series

Read Rosenthal's previous two articles in this series. They are eye-opening, heart-rending in some cases. The long and short of it? It's an outrage.

I've had experience with health care in Canada, Thailand, and South Africa, and wouldn't hesitate to go to any of those countries if cost was the issue. I'm sure many here on DU have had comparable experience in these countries and more.

[Nay]

2. Heart-rending indeed. I also hold Canadian citizenship, but I have never lived there and do

not have access to their healthcare system because I am not a resident. What I wonder is: if I wanted to get, say, a knee replacement in Canada rather than the US, how much would it cost me if I decided to be a medical tourist? Is there any way to find out?

[Boudica the Lyoness]

3. I needed a total ankle replacement

five + years ago. The day before I was scheduled to have the surgery, my insurance company (in the US) refused to cover it, claiming it was 'experimental'. The woman who signed the letter had the nerve to draw a smiley face after her signature.

I was to the point of being bone on bone and couldn't walk anymore. Ankle fusion is not something I would consider because it's barbaric, but it's the only thing my insurance would cover.

I contacted a renowned ankle surgeon in England who said he would give me a new ankle as a private patient. I haven't lived in the UK for about 40 years. All included it would cost $14,000. I wouldn't have to worry about where to stay because I could stay with my parents.

Meanwhile, my US surgeon had a peer review with the insurance company and they agreed to cover it. It cost over $60,000 and we had a huge deductible.

It's been over five years and I have never had a problem with my ankle and so I'd say it was a successful 'experiment'. I have close to full range of motion and no pain.

The US has fallen behind with ankle replacement surgery. The innovations are coming from Europe.