I would venture to guess that only a small portion of that was really needed for the procedure, the rest for liability insurances. We have become so sue-happy (just look at the number of threats on this board) and awards have become so large they are incomprehensible that it draws the wolves and the lawyers out of the woods at the smell of blood. Everyone seems to want to get rich the easy way. The problem is we all pay. The insurance companies simply pass the costs to its policyholders. Just think about how much YOU spend on insurance directly and indirectly. Health, Life, Auto, Homeowners, Mortgage Ins, Ins on expensive Products, Chips.... THEN think about all the insurance you pay for indirectly that is passed to you in product costs. It's no wonder insurance companies have so much money to lobby politicians and why lawyers (getting 40%) can smell blood hundreds of miles away! LOL