Can you really put a price on a healthy back ? You certainly can. And if you’re suffering from a herniated disc it’ll cost you anywhere between $20k – $80k depending on your surgical team and the type of surgery you choose – minimally invasive costing less. For patients that have a good insurance policy, the deductible is pegged at somewhere between 10 to 40 percent of the cost of the procedure.
Some forum users at Spine-Health and eHealth provide a few facts and figures into the cost of their surgery as well as cheaper options such as signing up for clinical trials. “Average national costs were about $14,000 for a single-level ACDF procedure and $26,000 for a single-level PLF. (These total figures reflected combined professional and facility costs.) Average cost for KA was about $13,000, increasing to $22,000 for TKA in patients with accompanying other major medical conditions.”
Hub Pages provides an example of the costs associated with Microdiscectomy.
Example: Summary of Microdiscectomy Cost
|
Description
|
Amount (USD)
|
|---|---|
|
Hospital Services:
|
|
|
Anesthesia
|
1128.00
|
|
Medical Supplies
|
1969.00
|
|
Pharmacy
|
978.50
|
|
Radiology
|
646.00
|
|
Recovery Room
|
2466.00
|
|
Surgery
|
4586
|
|
Surgeon’s Fee:
|
6329.00
|
|
Anesthesiologist’s Fee:
|
1890.00
|
|
TOTAL CHARGES:
|
$19,992.25
|
Fortunately, for those of us living in Canada, microdiscectomy cost is covered by the government. Universal health is definitely one of the major benefits of living North of the 49th parallel. Perhaps another option for those Americans looking to get a microsurgery done sooner rather than later. Here’s Warner Nickerson’s story of getting the procedure done in Croatia. And if you live in France, this study states a discectomy costs around $650 US (approx. 4000 Francs).
Here’s a concerning story from NPR that shows that it’s possible that not all costs, such as neuromonitoring are covered through your medical insurer.
Note: For those seeking alternative approaches to back pain relief, it’s just been announced that Medicare will now cover acupuncture. As stated in the press release “The decision comes after the centers reviewed medical studies on acupuncture which supported the non-opioid or pharmacological therapy for chronic low back pain which a large number of private insurers cover for certain indicators”
