A $32,580 Knee or an $18,860 Knee—Which One Would You Choose?

Let’s talk about knees. Specifically, one total knee replacement.

Same outcome. Same market.Two very different price tags.

One was $32,580.The other? $18,860.

Same knee. Big difference.

So what happened?

One of our Sympl Benefits clients had an employee scheduled for a total knee replacement. The referral sent them straight to a hospital that quoted the procedure at over thirty-two grand. That’s what most people would go with, because that's how the system’s set up—follow the referral, don’t ask questions, pay whatever shows up on the bill later.

But that’s not how we roll.

That employee worked with our SymplCare navigation team. We helped them compare options, real options, with real prices. Two solid providers came in under $20K. The employee went with the one at $18,860.

Now here’s the best part.

Because they chose the more cost-effective option, their deductible dropped from $1,500 to zero.Yep. Zero out of pocket.

And the employer?Saved $12,220. On one procedure.

That’s what a smart plan design does.It turns a broken system into one that actually makes sense.

This isn’t about cutting care.It’s about making care make sense.It’s about giving people visibility, giving them support, and yes, giving them a reason to care about the cost of what they’re consuming.

You want to lower your health insurance spend?Stop treating your health plan like a vending machine. Start treating it like a business unit with cost of goods sold, margin, and strategy.

At Sympl Benefits, that’s what we help employers do every day.Not by crossing fingers at renewal, but by giving employees the tools and motivation to make smart decisions all year long.

Same surgery. Same outcome.Just thousands of dollars smarter.

So what would you choose?The $32,580 knee… or the one that came with $0 out of pocket and a five-figure employer savings?

Let’s make that kind of math work for your company too.