Surgery in a developing country? Sign me up!

Forget the horror stories about back-alley appendectomies and missing kidneys.

We've always known that having surgery outside of the U.S. can be cheaper -- but better?

This is new to me.

The Los Angeles Times lets Andy Dijak tell his story of getting sophisticated knee surgery -- in Mexico.

When Dijak found out that the surgery would cost between $12,000 and $15,000 in a U.S. hospital, he started looking outside American borders. The best deal he found was in Monterrey, Mexico: $4,500, including the plane ticket.

He was picked up at the airport, recovered in a private room overlooking the Sierra Madre and got a copy of the operation on DVD.

"I got better care there than I would have in the United States, unless I were a
billionaire," he said.

The cost of American health care is driving people out of the country now.

Oh, Mr. President? You've got your work cut out for you.