A hip (or shoulder, knee, etc.) replacement is not in my plans if I can help it (almost 69 and still walking, using exercise machines, weights, etc). Lots of people need or will someday need replacements and the information you provide is appreciated. For me, the costs of "smaller" items is more relevant. Everyone approaching 70 (or seeing 70 in the rearview mirror) has some medical issue(s) but hopefully these are manageable and don't lead to expensive medical procedures later; being prepared to deal with expensive procedures is wise, however. I walk 2-3 miles every day with a friend who is 83; he is a role model for me, taking care of his health. Everyone should have good health role models.
Big thing we ran into with my wife’s knee surgery was the insurance covered 30 days of a rehab center and as we live remotely someplace with a lot of large steps we were told there would be little chance the insurance would deny it, guess what they did. Spent 4 weeks in a ground level AirBnb at our own expense as twice a week several hundred mile round trips for rehab over back roads wasn’t gonna cut it. My neighbor had the same surgery with 30 days of stay in a rehab center using plan g for a few hundred dollars in fuel costs and bills no requests or planning required. In my opinion there is a big difference between working with an insurance company or original Medicare even though plan G is insurance it seems better regulated somewhat. Again this is only my opinion.
