So upset :(

donaboss · September 30, 2013

So I just found out that my insurance doesn't cover anything for me.. I really want this.. Did anyone self pay in nj? Would you recommend any financing companies? Please advise

leslie1958 · September 30, 2013

The very first place you want to try is your credit union or bank - personal line of credit or loan - these will usually be the lowest interest rates. Mexico is the cheapest place - I'm headed there on the weekend to a good surgeon so keep an open mind on other places. Good luck to you !!

Mel1071 · October 1, 2013

I was in your exact shoes a few months ago. It sucks - big time. No ifs, ands, or butts about it.

You now need to figure out who is going to do your surgery. The "good" news is you can choose who does your surgery. Almost all docs I looked at had a self pay price. FWIW, they really love self pays - no insurance BS - they get their money directly.

You also need to figure out if you want to stay close to home, travel elsewhere in the US, or go to Mexico. I know a lot of folks have raved about their Mexico experience. It was not for me. I really did not want to deal with flying after surgery. Plus, I wanted to know I had easy access to a doc if there were any complications after the fact.

I was leaning toward driving to Dallas (I live in TN) as I found a doctor who had a pretty reasonable self-pay charge (12,200). I decided against that because I really did not want to seal with a 11+ hour drive home and again, I wanted good aftercare. The aftercare I would get with him would be phone calls - not my style.

I am very lucky that we have a lot of great surgeons here in TN. I would up going with one who costs $18K - but that covers all of my in person appointments with him for the next year, gives me unlimited lifetime access to a nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and support groups. Plus, as part of the self pay fee I get $25K in BLIS insurance - that covers any issues related to surgery for the 90 days after. Not only did my insurance not cover anything for the surgery, I am on my own if any complications from surgery arise - so that was important to me too.

I did have to pay $250 in addition to have my consult. Fortunately I was able to use my HSA card to cover that. It looks like we'll be using a home equity loan to take care of the rest. Which I hate doing, but I really want to get this journey started.