If the patient truly qualified for outpatient total knee replacement (orthopedic surgeon was out of Cancun in less than 24hrs per the article), the cost of this procedure would have been around $11,677 in the US at an ambulatory surgical center. Per the article, the cost of the procedure in Cancun was..."but at Galenia, it is only $12,000". I will definitely give credit where it is due, as the inpatient cost in Mexico would be far cheaper than in the US.
Disclaimer: I am a medical student, so please keep my biases in mind. I have no skin in the game, and I totally get that prices in the US are abhorrently high. Please read the following articles to gain a better understanding:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.22.3.... https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05144
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/hfss-nir0313...