How wonderful that your family is paying for your surgery, but even more that they are extending your life. My insurance company will not pay for any part of my surgery (6/21), but in a way my mom is paying for it. She passed away 1 year ago and left me enough money to have the surgery. Good luck to you and be very proud of yourself for doing it.

I am so grateful that my mom and grandma are paying for it for me! We are getting the discount for self pay. I did get approved through insurance but it ended up cheaper this way. From what you all are saying there are so many hoops to jump through if you are going through insurance. I only had to go to a nutrition class and that was just education my surgeon wanted me to have. I've heard of 6 month diets prior and a number of psych consults and just waiting. My surgery date is a month and half out from when I decided I wanted it! That's so sad you don't have your mom with you but it's great you get to do something for you! Good Luck! June you say?

I am trying to get the lap band. If I may ask you what a ball park figure is to have it done and pay my self. My insurance don't cover it & I would really like to do it. But don't know if I can aford to pay my self.

depends on where you are...I paid 14k Self Pay..keep all receipts and turn them into your insurance company. Even though they may have denied you they might still reimburse you for some of it. Make sure the hospital attempts to get pre admittance approval (even if it is denied) this could help you get reimbursed. A lot of times they (the ins co) will not pay for the dr's portion but might pay for the anes, hosp stay, ekg's and so forth. Each ins company is different. Another thing is to save all the receipts because you should be able to claim the medical expense on your taxes.

Yeah the whole procedure is tax deductible. I paid 10,290. With no additional costs either! The fills are free for life. The only new cost are the vitamins I need to get. But they also told me about companies that do surgical financing and its pretty easy to get approved.