Getting surgery done in the US if patient is a Canadian....
 

Well it seems that our health system is getting backed up. Neighbor next door needs hip surgery and he has to wait a year to get a hip replacement. Plus he is in pain. My wife needs a hernia operation. She had it done twenty years ago. Initial wait time now just to see a specialist was a year but we have found another one with a shorter wait time to see the specialist and getting the op done.

In view of the fact that the wait time may still be too long would be interested to know what you US citizens experienced with hip and hernia ops particularly the money aspect.

Does everybody on this forum have health insurance coverage? If not would be interested in knowing what it costs to get these ops done. For those with health insurance do you find out what the actual cost is for an operation?

If the wait is too long for either my wife or my neighbor we may consider coming to the US for our ops. We checked with our travel health insurance rep and he said we can get coverage but does not cover the part that needs the op. Fair enough.

Any comments would be appreciated!:)

There are many semi private surgery clinics that operate across Canada that accept provincial heath care for the basic services.
That might be the best bet for someone waiting for a hip replacement. Private clinics for hernia care exist as well.
Regardless of what the politicians say, we do have a two tier system. If you have a little dough you can choose to get things done faster.

Look at the shouldice clinic in Toronto , for hernia ops. Very good reputation.

Shouldice is good if the patient is not overweight, If you are overweight they give you a target weight and tell you to come back when you hit that weight.

Your province may pay for treatment elsewhere if the wait is too long, either in the US or another province. You need to do some homework. Getting approval won't be easy.

I would look well beyond the US for surgery, there are a lot of other far cheaper options that are a flight away.

You're certainly not going to get any kind of a deal in the USA. Look to Europe or India.

Paying cash for hip replacement in US, could be over $100K.

I have lots of patients down here in the winter from Canada who pay cash for surgery. Hospitals will negotiate prices preop

For perspective, your wife could see me this week and have surgery next week.

Pick a surgeon or a hospital down here, call them and begin the negotiation. they will discuss and negotiate options, best to have a surgeon selected, he or she will help guide you to the hospital or hospitals were they practice.

I can't imagine a routine inguinal hernia repair costing more than about $5K USD. Surgeon, anesthesiologist, OR, and pre-op clearance.

Thanks all for the info. I do appreciate it.:)

Actually the average is 5.8k USD but local hospital cost can take it to 10K.

I research it as my neighbor got a double one within 4 Hours of getting in the ER. Cost him nothing and he was back home the same day.

Hernia Surgery Cost |No Insurance, Affordable Umbilical & Inguinal Hernia Surgery | Maryland (MD), Washington, DC & Virginia (VA)

Go here:

https://www.mdsave.com

My 64 year old sister is getting her hip replaced. Total time from diagnosis to surgery about 6 weeks.

She has the basic Kaiser HMO.

ACA, or Obamacare, is directly effecting hip and knee replacement surgery. Areas/Hospitals, I am familiar with are receiving $23K to $30K for a primary procedure in one lump payment. So as you deal with the hospital keep those numbers in mind.

I will keep an eye out for this post. My aunt is having a hard time getting spinal fusion done in Calgary. The wait time is more then a year. My sister say her old hospital can get my aunt in within a couple of weeks here (she now works for USC/Keck). The trick is to line up the surgeon and the hospital. The real cost is the recovery as they recommend her to stay down here for 6+ month for care. Rent and transportation is not exactly cheap near any of our good / major hospitals.

My mom just had spinal fusion last week. She scheduled it about a month ago.

I simply can't relate to CA prices...

NC has some pretty first rate facilities and many times one even hears of a CA "star" coming here for care. Maybe look elsewhere and shop around?

Hope she's in one Fint....here or elsewhere, and best to her btw!

not. this center says $25k
Surgery Center of Oklahoma | Free market-loving, price-displaying, state-of-the-art, AAAHC accredited, doctor owned, multispecialty surgical facility in central OK.

I suffered with a bad hip for several years. Like many I refused to believe my hip needed a replacement. I did pick a surgeon and had him do the x-rays and evaluations. He told me there was no way he was going to say it is time. He even told me that I will know when it is time and I will tell him it needs to be done. He was right. When every step became torture, I gave in. He was booked 60 days out but I got on the schedule, and two months later it was done.

I was an idiot for waiting so long. It felt better than before within 48 hours. Now I never think about it except when I see the scar. I should have done it way sooner and the doc said it was pure bone on bone and some blood for lubricant. It was a wonderful improvement and I wish I did it sooner.

To know you will have to wait a year would be torture.