Cant Have Surgery ;'(

[newgrandmother11 25]

new insurance rules. only covers 90% i cant afford the other 10. im really sad. do anyone have the same problem? and because its for my health is it still free?

[twoboysandagirl 109]

Dont give up! Keep searching for other options...You know I was going to have a different wls and found out because of the surgeon I chose I would need to come up with a big chunk of cash...I almost gave up but I kept praying and God opened another door for me and I am so blessed to have had the sleeve. I will say a prayer that you will find a way to take care of your health one way or another. Blesssings to you.

[newgrandmother11 25]

_{thank you. but it says its free when i went to orientation maybe its seperate.}

[renee5d 13]

Don't give up! My insurance does not cover any weight loss surgery....I was self pay. We were struggling financially when i approached the subject of the surgery with my hubby....he looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my forehead! We have two kids in college and my once very successful business went belly-up last year because of the economy! I knew I had the option of a home equity line of credit (very low interest rates right now) or a health care credit card.

It was scary to spend so much money ($9,500 total)..but now, looking back, it was the best money I have ever spent! You have to look at it as an investment in yourself! At 10% out of pocket, you shouldnt be paying any more than $2,000 out of pocket....and YOU ARE WORTH SO MUCH MORE THAN $2000! Do what ever it takes for your health....I've even sold some of my things on eBay to help pay for this!

And...one other thing...at only 7 weeks out and 32 pounds down, I have already saved a lot of money on my grocery bill!

[illgeturhairdid 176]

A lot of insurances have an out of pocket max- for me mine was $2000, but I had already met $1000. So my surgery cost me my copays plus $1000. (Which was my coinsurance of 10% until I met the $2000.) Look into your insurance to see what it would be. Also- your insurance will have a contracted rate with the surgeon and hospital. For instance the hospital billed my insurance over $33,000 but the contracted rate was only like $5300- so I only had to pay 10% of $5300 not the $33,000!

[LGoz 4]

Only 90% self pay is so worth it!!! You will NOT be unhappy.. spend the money on yourself.. trust me you will be happy!!

It sounds like your insurance plan is pretty good. I wanted to have the lap-band done in 2007 and my plan didn't cover it. So I kind of gave up. Then my husband's new insurance in 2011 covered the SLEEVE and the Lap-band. I went to the meeting with the doctor and decided that the Sleeve was right for me. I have lost 15 pound since Dec 14th

Spend the money on yourself.. you will not be sorry..

[CowgirlJane 14,260]

90% coverage is pretty good... I don't know of any insurance to cover 100%. I would start saving money everywhere I could and set it aside!

[PreciousCargo 55]

Apply for CareCredit, they have an application you will be required to fill out. I am using that for my co-payment. On a positive note ten percent is not a large amount for the importance and necessity of your well-being. Good Luck

[JMarshall 352]

i would not let the 10 % scare you. my insurance has a maximum out of pocker expense of 4500 and my family has already used 3000 so my surgery cost 1500 bucks. do not let the 10 % stop you from changing your life. call your doctors office to see if they have any payment programs that will assist you. most peoples problem with WLS is that it is not covered at all by there insurance. good luck and stay positive.

[feedyoureye 3,087]

I had an out of pocket co-pay of $3000. It was tough to scrape it up, but I will be saving so much on health expences in the future because of this investment in my health now. My Drs office said that the hospital could work out a payment plan if I needed it as well... Check out all your options before you give up. Some Drs are starting to add a surgeons fee on top of other fees- outside of co pays and such... if they said they were free, perhaps they ment they did not charge a surgeons fee... just guessing here...

[AKMama 36]

I was just approved last week and on one note I was so excited but after that sank in and I reread the email a couple of times I was bummed to learn that I was going to have to pay 5000.00 which I don't have. I'm looking into getting CareCredit card or borrow against my 401. All I know is I have to have this surgery with my health I can't keep going the way I am, I want to live to see my grandkids. Don't give up!!!!

[hadouni 301]

I have an 80/20 plan (I pay 20% after insurance adjustments) and an out of pocket max of $3000 so it'll cost me 3k. I have a health care reimbursement plan option (FSA) through work that I always use so I'll pay for it that way. At least it's pre-tax!

[Shellyac 22]

You could talk to your doctor's office to see if they would be willing to accept the 90% as full payment.

[newgrandmother11 25]

thanks everyone. i called kaiser and i was told that i would just pay 10 percent on my admissions which im still confused about. well i will proceed with the classes and just leave it in gods hand. thanks again guys for your comments

[Lissa 2,631]

The doctors office should be able to tell you an estimated dollar amount on the admissions. Ask for it. Perhaps you could set up a payment plan for it and start paying that amount ahead of time. Or open a savings account yourself and put any found money into it.

I agree with everyone else, this is so worth it. I was a self-pay and I do not regret one penny of my $12,500! The difference in my health and my energy levels is astounding!!

Lissa