Hidden Costs for self-pay?

[clk 3,519]

Most of the surgeons for self pay are very good about giving you a full price up front. It's insurance that's a hassle, honestly. The hardest part now is picking your surgeon and deciding how to pay!

I researched three surgeons for self pay - Dr. Nick Nicholson (Plano, TX), Dr. Trace Curry (Cincinnati, OH) and Dr. Aceves (Mexico). After much deliberation I opted to go with Dr. Aceves. He was cheaper ($8,700 for surgery) but that wasn't my full motivation. I have insurance that does not cover the sleeve at all and flew from Germany to have my procedure. I wanted a longer hospital stay before my return flight home. I felt I got much more bang for my buck with Dr. Aceves, and it was several thousand dollars cheaper, too, even including my travel. I paid $10K for everything including my flights, medications in Mexico (I brought them home with me) and my extra hotel night (I had to pay for one night on my own because my international flight landed the night before).

Find a reputable surgeon with believable positive testimonies online. Then find people here and on OH (that aren't working for the surgeon!) to share their experiences. Scour the web for positive AND negative reviews. Read BOTH. Make an informed decision before you go forward.

I have paid nothing else for my surgery. My PCM resumed my care - they saw me shortly after one year post op and did my blood panel with no issues. I didn't bother getting a prescription for my omeprazole because my insurance gets charged about three times what I pay for it myself and that's just ridiculous. I also by all of my own supplements and Protein shakes, too, but that's not exactly a hidden cost.

The worry comes when you fall into that 1% group with complications. Weigh that carefully. Nobody expects to be that person. A way to minimize that risk is of course to be very careful about selecting your surgeon. But there is risk with any surgery, and should complications arise you could find yourself footing the bill if you pick the wrong surgeon.

Best of luck. Start researching and take your time. This is a big choice to make. The good news is that once you do decide, things move quite quickly.

~Cheri

[Nevermind 117]

You are all soooo helpful. I love the support on this forum.

I will definitely do my homework. I hope to post when I have a decision as I move forward...

[azjanie 43]

I was going to use Dr. Alvarez but decided to try the insurance route 1st (and I will use him if I get denied). I was really impressed with the support staff. I had already had a date scheduled and paid my deposit. When I cancelled my deposit was refunded within 48 hours and were just as friendly and helpful and when they were taking my money. They have since contacted me just to check in. I know that this is just good customer service and they are following up on a potential client, but I have to admit that the entire staff made me feel like I was important and that they cared about my weight loss journey. (Which is more than I can say for the "center of excellence" staff that I am currently using. Who could care less about me but will charge my insurance almost 10x what Dr. Alvarez charges.