I'm seeing evidence of just how true this is right now. I am currently receiving facet block infiltration injections to my lower back, about every three months, next procedure is in early December. These include six injections along with six pre-injections to numb the target areas, so twelve injections in all... per treatment. I've done a little research online lately and am seeing posts on various medical message boards from US patients saying they are being charged anywhere from two to three K per needle. More if done in a hospital or surgical unit under full anaestesia. One guy said his bill for three treatments was over $120K. Another said he's been billed $45K for one treatment. Then on another site an actual board-certified doctor says that a $2k per injection charge is normal, plus another $3k for anaestetic, and of course various other charges and costs are then added on.

Curiously, yet another medical site says that the ACTUAL cost of the procedure is around $800 total.

Things that make you go "hmmm..." :(


Like I said, December will be my 3rd go at this. My back is shot and getting worse all the time, due to a long history of scholiosis and corrective surgery along with some 35 years of disc degeneration and osteo arthritis setting in. But the cost to me for ALL of my doctor visits, tests, MRI's, x-rays, and the injection procedures themselves, has been and will continue to be $0.00.

(yet some here continually remain skeptical and critical of our system in Canada, a thing that always both amuses and confounds me)