I had no idea some hospitals require payment up front for surgery. My insurance pays 80% and the rest is up to me. They did give me a 25% discount for paying early :-)
I did self-pay (long story), and I had to come up with about $750 to reserve a date, and then another $750 for my surgeon. Then the hospital required I pay the ~$13,000 up front. I'll be billed by the anesthesiologist later...
