Why medical tourism? Just do the math for a joint replacement

[Divernan]

2. Go to Belgium, pay only 1/10th U.S. costs, at hospital w/lower infection rates

US manufacturers & "intermediaries" charging $37,000 for device they manufacture for $350; add another $65,000 for hospital PLUS surgeon's fee. Or you could go to a private Belgian hospital and pay only $13,660 for hip joint, all doctors' fees, operating room charges,medicine, hospital room for 5 days, a week in rehab including round-trip airfare from the states. VERY informative article!

You really HAVE to read this very informative article if you or a loved one is considering hip/knee replacement.

Mr. Shopenn’s surgery, which was uneventful, took place on a Tuesday. On Friday he was transferred for a week to the hospital’s rehabilitation unit, where he was taught exercises to perform once he got home.

Twelve days after his arrival, he paid the hospital’s standard price for hip replacements for foreign patients. Six weeks later he saw an orthopedist in Seattle, where he was living at the time, to remove stitches and take a postoperative X-ray. “He said there was no need for further visits, that the hip looked great, to go out and enjoy myself,” Mr. Shopenn said.