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I had a torn ACL in the US while uninsured. I waited a few weeks before I saw anyone in hopes that it was some kind of major sprain. I finally made an appointment with the Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence (I highly recommend it), and the first doctor I saw (a non-knee specialist, for $85 for about a half hour) said it probably wasn't a torn ACL, but he scheduled an MRI anyways. The MRI was on the order of $1200, and another appointment later (this time with a knee specialist), it turned out that I did, in fact, have a torn ACL. By now, however, it had happened nearly a month prior, and the doctor recommended waiting at least two more months for the swelling to fully subside. Reluctant to make such a big investment and being fearful of such a major surgery, I waited about 9 more months before I finally had the surgery. Since I didn't go to a hospital, the costs were actually reasonably low: ~$2500 each for the facilities, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon. From diagnosis through final checkup, the cost was about $10K, and I was fortunate enough to have my doctor advise me on personal rehabilitation (I didn't go to a single session of rehab). So I was lucky to get into a good facility with a good doctor and get reasonably-priced care, and now I'm stuck in a job I don't like with high credit card bills in order to pay off a large cost for a fluke basketball accident. Call me crazy, but I'd be interested in taking my chances in Canada or the UK. I've only just now (a year later) paid off the anesthesia, and I'm halfway done paying off the surgeon. |