OBJECTIVES The Hungarian health budget does not allow all candidates to be promptly operated on with vertebral malformation. The budget is enough for approximately 4000 stabilizations by implant. The rest have to be put on the waiting list. The aim of our study is to analyse the costs related to the patients being on waiting list for surgery of vertebral malformation. METHODS Data derived from the nationwide financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration. 71 patients on waiting list of an institute in 2005-2006 were studied. We analysed the average waiting time and the costs related to patients either operated on or without operation. RESULTS The average age of all candidates was 55 year and the average waiting time was 32 months. The treatment cost during the waiting time was US$ 103 per month per patient. The average age of candidates operated on was 57 years and their average waiting time was 15 months with a costs of US$ 155 per month per patients. The average age of candidates not operated on was 54 years and their average waiting time was 15 months with a cost of US$ 92 per month per patient. CONCLUSIONS Half of candidates have not been operated on, because at the appointed date they postponed the operation. But they seem not to really want to be operated on. The reason could be they were not sure enough to be able to get job after the operation at their age.