Payment for Surgery

[Coryn 0]

I am filling out my application packet for qualifying for bariatric surgery. My insurance covers 70 percent of the surgery leave me to pay between $6000 and $10,000. The office said the money was due before the surgery could be preformed. I am very surprised by amount that I will have to pay. I am in the medical field and a lot of my Pts who receive bariatric surgery are lower income. There is absolutely no way I can have that kind of money anytime soon. I assumed I would pay monthly payments after the surgery. So my question is did you all have to have thousands of dollars up front of was there some sort of financing that you found? I know there are medical credit cards but just don't know if that's the way to go.

[SnohoGal98296 371]

I am self-pay, my insurance specifically excludes bariatric treatment of any kind, I am required to pay in full before surgery, $18,000. Luckily most of the pre-op testing, blood work, endoscopy, sleep study, psych evaluation, etc. is covered or else the cost would be around $21,000.

One way to pay is to borrow from your 401K, the interest is really low, like 3 or 4 % compared to the health care credit cards which are around 19-21% or so I have heard. Another way is to charge it to a regular credit card, that might get you 8-15%... or borrow from family. .. Or a home equity line of credit. .. Just thinking out loud here.

[2muchfun 8,927]

Most band surgeries cost around $10K total. However, the hospital will bill your insurance at least twice that and accept the normal per diem for this type of surgery.

Call your insurance company and ask them how to handle this? Or, change surgeons if they insist on you paying the $10K.

[Tinaree 21]

I'm going to be self pay. $13000. Chicago. The clinic has a finance company that they work with if you can't pay in full. I will pay $1000 on pre-op day and the $12000 remaining on surgery day. All pre-op included and 12 months of follow ups and fills included. DayOne Health. My insurance won't cover any of it.

[HollyJ2621 19]

My insurance also pays 70% and I have a 30% co insurance along with a $2000 deductible . Leaving me with about $4000 out of pocket after all is said and done. Luckily the hospital that I'm having my surgery performed at is willing to allow me to make payments monthly.

[kimk1999 450]

My suggestion would be for the medical credit card. Sometimes they offer a grace period of no interest. Are you able to take a loan out - unsecured, against an asset (vehicle), against your house?

If I didn't have insurance, the surgeon had a $16,000 non insurance rate.

[yolicious1 64]

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Edited April 10, 2014 by yolicious1

[yolicious1 64]

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Edited April 10, 2014 by yolicious1

[yolicious1 64]

In my pre-op yesterday I had to come up with $3400. CareCredit gives 24 months with no interest payments at this hospital. I only had one thousand dollars in cash, that's all I planned to put down on the surgery, as I thought I could make payments on the rest of the bill. The hospital said elective procedures must be paid in advance. So I gave them 1,400, and did 2,000 with Care Credit.

[BigGirlPanties 957]

Wow...that seems so expensive...

I would look in to it further... I was lucky...I only had to pay about $2500 all told with all the tests and surgery... but I didn't have to pay in advance... so sorry

[Casie83 38]

My grand total with all testing and other required visits was $5000. The sleep study cost me the most. The surgery ended up being 1270.40. But my hysterectomy in a few months will be free!

[tnpeach 41]

As we all know this is not a Easy Fix or a Cheap Fix.

[ASKSARAH - Sleeve 256]

I paid self pay in cash in MX. My surgery cost $5500 and a little plane ticket.

Easy peasy, No insurance crap to go through, just pick a date and go!

[magtart 603]

I only had a $350 co-pay.

[Mrs.RRn 2,111]

Insurance pisses me off! I was a self pay and paid only $9600 in the US. It's a damn shame hospitals & physicians jack up their prices so much just to get money from the insurance companies. It's ridiculous.