Cost of Total Knee Replacement

Determining the exact cost of total knee replacement can be difficult because there are just so many factors to consider. It can be determined by a number of things and a lot will depend on the type of surgery and where you are having it done. The average cost of knee replacement in the UK is roughly £10,000 (a similar procedure would cost about $45,000 in the US). The actual cost of such an operation will vary from hospital to hospital. If you were to go abroad and have the surgery done in somewhere like India you might only have to pay as little as £6,000 for the treatment. Of course many people in the UK will have their treatment provided free by the NHS.

What Determines the Cost of Total Knee Replacement?

When you consider the cost of total knee replacement you might feel that it is an expensive procedure. When you consider what is involved though you might feel that the price isn't so unreasonable. The procedure for this type of operation can involve a lot of highly trained professional and a lot of high-tech machinery. The nursing bill alone for an average total knee replacement can be high. All these people need to be reimbursed for their skill and all the equipment and materials needs to be paid for. There is a lot of competition these days between private hospitals and most are keeping costs to a minimum so £10,000 is fairly reasonable.

You might be wondering how some other countries can afford to do these procedures for less money. Well the most usual answer for this is that they pay their professionals a lot less money. They can do this because the cost of living is generally much cheaper in these countries. It should also be remembered that the fact that they pay so little is what is driving their top nurses and other professionals to look for work in places like the UK. It also needs to be appreciated that while these countries offer cheaper surgery that you have to pay to get there and if anything goes wrong with the procedure it could work out to be very costly indeed.

Some Final Thoughts on the Cost of Total Knee Replacement

The cost of total knee replacement can seem to be a bit high but the benefit it can bring to people's life makes the expense worthwhile. If your knee has been damaged by a process like arthritis then you may be finding it almost impossible to live independently. A knee replacement can help people return to normal living and be able to get out and about as they used to. When you consider how much people are willing to spend on holidays and gadgets it is obvious that the cost of total knee replacement is not such an expense. Of course if you live in the UK you can wait to have this free on the NHS but for those who don't want to wait there is a better solution.