I am Joe please read my story

[JoeHenry 0]

I am only 25 and my health is terrible. I want to get a surgery. I have no job no health insurance nothing. What should I do?

[NurseShay 24]

Hi Joe

Well to try & answer your question it seems to be without any insurance you'd have to self pay. For lap band this can be as low as $4500 in other countries such as Mexico or between 9k-25k in the US. The lap band requires years of follow up care & fills to reach a theraputic range that can cost from $50 per visit to $350per visit every 4-6 wks for the first yr & every few months for the yrs folllowing. And you must also consider the cost of complications such as band revisions, leaks, slips, erosions or port flips. This for the self payer are out of pocket expenses that are hard to predict & can happen as early as your surgery day or 10yrs down the line. Some surgeons have financing options such as Care Credit which is a healthcare credit card and the limit for it is based on your credit history. You can apply online & be approved in minutes. Beware though that just because you may be approved doesn't mean its for the full amount so read thoroughly. Having a co-signer can increase your credit line & improve your chances of approval if you know your score is low. The trick with that though is to first find a provider that accepts such forms of payment & also be financially capable of making the minimum monthly payment. You do not want to default on a credit card let me tell you!! The other self pay option would be to get a loan but honestly without employment that's pretty hard to do. But maybe your parents could help out there?

Finally you could see if you qualify for medicare/medicaid? I'm not sure what health issues you have since you say your health is terrible but being unemployed could also make you a candidate. I'm no expert on public aide but I'm sure you could google the qualifications. I know my surgeons office takes medicare so I know that they cover WLS (weightloss surgery). But as I understand it they have strict guidelines & rules to follow to get approved. They. Usually require u to first meet the guidlines for a band- a bmi over 35 with co-morbidities such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or a bmi over 40 or being 100+lbs over weight. They also like to see proof of being overweight for 5 yrs & documented attempts at weight loss such a supervised diet or weight watchers logs etc. They require a 6mt doctor supervised diet & other pre op tests before you can even submit an app for approval. Keep in mind that if your basis for qualifying for public aide is unemployment & you should happen to get a job you could lose your coverage & if you're still pre-banded you'd be back to square one, if you're already banded those f/u visits & fills would again be out of pocket. Also many work insurance op to exclude WLS from being a covered benefit so even with some insurances its still a self pay expense.

So your best bet is to do the research, crunch the numbers & figure out what's best for you. Obesity is a silent killer so do whatever you can in the meantime to get some weight off & improve your health. The lap band is a tool & even with it strict dieting & regular excercise is a must!! So it doesn't hurt to get an early start.

Best of luck & I hope this helps!