"I'm suggesting that HN commenters here are likely far less competent to speculate about the cost structure of heart operations than believe themselves to be"

"I'm suggesting that HN commenters here are likely far less competent to speculate about the cost structure of heart operations than believe themselves to be" In my case: U.S. cost structures, sure, I don't know them, though I do speculate and guess, and asked if someone knows of a hospital with transparent enough data. Uruguay cost structures are a different bag altogether, since they're mostly government-run and they have to make numbers somewhat public. Add to that one of my brothers working in a hospital (he's a few years from graduating as a doctor) and other sources, and I can get an estimate that I hope is correct to an order of magnitude. A relative has been a customer of the Cleveland clinic, so I know the exact number he paid. I also know the exact number another person paid for the exact same surgery here in Uruguay - it was close to one-tenth, and he chose to pay private rather to go through the public institutions (which have huge delays). Below is a PDF in Spanish, on an investigative piece from a weekly that goes into great detail on the costs of surgery in Uruguay. I'll just quote some basic numbers: - Fixed fee per major surgery (medical act) UY$ 27.500 / U$ 1300 - Monthly Head Heart Surgeon salary (per hospital) UY$ 263.000 / U$ 12500 - Other heart surgeons, between UY$ 162.500 and 243.000 depending on seniority and other factors - U$ 8.000 to 12.000 range, per month. Those are close to the best salaries anywhere in Uruguay, usually as well trained as any doctor in the U.S. - Cost to the hospital per major operation (heart surgery), UY$ 206.000 / U$ 10.000 Smaller operations like angioplasty cost UY$ 60.000 / U$ 3.000 The most expensive surgery is heart transplant, which costs UY$ 684.000 / U$ 32000 All those are set by the government, so those ARE the actual costs (well, actually they were in 2008, I didn't adjust by inflation and exchange rate), no insurance or strange stuff involved. The patient is not billed a cent, but there is a huge delay (months usually), and doctors don't really schedule surgery unless it's critical for the person's health (almost no quality of life procedures through the public system). http://www.semanario-alternativas.info/archivos/2008/5)mayo/18---16.05.2008/PDF_portada/portada/el_negocio_de_la_enfermedad.pdf http://www.semanario-alternativas.info/archivos/2008/5)mayo/... PD: Surgeons and Anesthesists have tremendous power, and managed to get paid close to ten times the rate of other doctors.