Anyone else self pay?

[SecretBander 79]

I am scheduled for surgery Feb 4th and am self pay. I am interested in knowing how many people go this route ?

I took out a loan to be able to pay for the surgery. My surgery could be covered by insurance but there are so many loopholes and a 6 month waiting period. With having to meet my deductible first, I decided it was worth the difference to get the surgery NOW and not wait. I may regret this once I start paying the loan back lol but this is the decision I made.

[dawalsh 919]

I was not self pay but my daughter had the sleeve (I had the band). Anyway, she went self-pay and took a huge loan out through Care Credit. She also did not want to wait for the insurance rules and to wait to see if she might be approved. Anyway, she does not regret it one bit. Because she was cash she got a discount.

She had surgery in July and looks great! I'm over a year post op and I've lost 80 lbs. so good luck to you and I'm sure there are loads of people on this forum who were self pay.

[Cat225 93]

I am paying for it myself. I live in Ontario (Canada), and our provincial health insurance won't cover lap band. I've considered this route for a long time now. I already have no regrets, and my surgery hasn't even happened yet!

[Jane Godwin 4]

I'll be self pay. I'll go for my pre-op on Monday and surgery will be March 7th. My insurance would not cover the lap band so here I am. Got the full amount approved last night through Care Credit. I'm excited but nervous at the same time!

[Mrs CScottie 0]

Yes I'm self funded as my BMI is 38. I had my lap band fitted here in the UK on the 28th. There's no way I will regret paying for it myself - I imagine how much the savings on my food bill are going to be and there's no price I can put on the positive effects I'm going to enjoy!

[KAATNS 1,473]

I was self pay. It was the best gift I ever gave myself.

[Terry Poperszky 2,784]

I was self pay, bet money I ever spent.

[kayzoog 129]

I'm a self-pay too! My surgery is March 3rd. My insurance does not cover it. I am glad so many people on here have self-paid. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable making that decision. I took a loan from my 401K to cover it.

- K

[Msmagnificent 0]

I had my surgery February 7 and I'm self paying. Put $2500 in cash down and finance the balance of $7500 through help card. I wanted to go the insurance route but didn't want to wait for all the approvals and denials. Best money I eve spent on myself! I've lost 14 pounds so far and tidy is the first time folks are noticing. I'm so excited about my new journey,

[Delightful Soul 1]

Hi all -- I am a self pay and I looked at it as buying a (cheap) car. The payments are affordable even though I'm retired and not making much money. It was financed through Slimband and will take 5 yrs to pay off. Now here's the sad part of the story. I have not lost any weight since having the surgery two years ago. I'm thinking of having the band removed due to ongoing discomfort.

Does anyone know what it costs to have the band removed?

[Elizabeth68 25]

I also self paid as I didn't want to wait 6 months and I knew my firm was re-evaluating healthcare plans. Imagine if I waited 6 months and then a new insurance plan wouldn't cover it anyway! A huge part of weight loss is mind over matter, and if I finally had my mind where I wanted it to be, I didn't want to waste that momentum.

I'm looking at this as a not only a well-deserved gift to myself, but as an investment in my health. I am in my mid-40's and feel the effects of a lifetime of obesity on my knees, which will only get worse. Then there's cancer and all those diseases obesity is said to contribute to. Being healthier will reduce my health costs in the future and I think I'll get a great return on my investment.

Self pay is invoiced at a discount to the insurance-paid rate, so ask your doctor what self-pay rates they have. Plus, so many "incidentals" are covered by insurance, including pain medication after surgery, all my pre-op visits, etc. I was most concerned whether insurance would pay for any complications from my surgery and it would. That really put my mind at ease. My doctor also includes 12 months of fills and nutritionist visits in the rate I paid, so it covers quite a bit. They also found a small hernia which they fixed when in there. Insurance will cover that extra cost as well, but I 'm going to try to see if they will cover some of the hospital or surgeon costs as well. I think it would have been inevitable that I would need some surgery on that, no? doesn't hurt to try!

Now, who will cover my smaller wardrobe?

[MarieMarie 346]

Happy New Year to me. I paid $16,500 which included a night because of sleep apnea. I am in Ontario, Canada. Down 40 lbs since August. Hoping to write a fantastic Success story one day!

[Kindle 8,667]

My insurance doesn't cover WLS, so I was self pay. I went to Obesity Control Center in TJ. Smooth recovery, no complications, feeling great and at 1 year out am easily maintaining at 12 pounds under goal. I used the money I had been saving for a down payment on a new truck plus about $1000 on a credit card which I paid off within 2 months with my tax refund. Best money I ever spent and I love driving my skinny self around in my 15 year old truck!

(Oops, sorry I just saw this was the lap band forum. But Dr. Ortiz at OCC has extensive experience with lapbands...he actually worked with the guy that invented the band and used to teach the procedure to US doctors)

Edited December 14, 2014 by Kindle

[Dsteele89 5]

I'm in the exact same boat.

Self paid , but healthcare would cover Partial amounts on a three year wait list with various requirements.

I wanted it now while I feel motivated and excited.

It will be worth it. I considered the money that would be saved on groceries / eating out/ etc.

Way to go