The cost of back surgery varies greatly depending in part on geographic area, medical insurance plans & deductibles.
In addition, there are 2 components: those of the hospital & those associated with your doctors (surgeon, anesthesiologist, pathologist)
Less than a third of the money spent on back surgery is for the procedure itself. Patients also pay significantly for:
The activities before & after surgery - Primary care visits, Rx drugs, epidural injections & physical therapy are all costs associated with surgery
Commonly, patients miss work before surgery due to pain; others don’t go back to work for 3 months
Surgical complications &/or additional surgery - A study showed that 1 of 5 patients are rehospitalized within 30 days of spine surgery. 60% were ER visits, usually for infection & unmanageable pain. 26% of those patients returned to the operating room for additional surgery