Fill Prices

[DeLarla 22]

What does everybody pay for a fill?

My best friend is an RN in Texas currently fininishing her MBA. She's going to be a professor but she's also learning about the band. She might decide to do fills in Texas one day. I told her I'd find out what everyone pays.

In Tijuana you can get a fill under fluoro for $50 to $100.

In Vegas, one doc charges $100 for the initial consult, $300 for each fill, plus several hundred to the hospital for the use of a fluoro machine.

Where do you go, and what do you pay?

[leatha_g 4]

My doc charges $150 to insurance when I get one. I believe that's office call and fill procedure. He does not use flouro. I was told at my old hospital - without insurance, they charged $167 cash, but they charged my insurance like $750!!!

I paid a local 'fill doctor' $250, which included flouro.

[blossom 2]

Well, so far, I have only had them done at the hospital and they charged my insurance around $750.

[nightingale2u 42]

My surgeon does them without flouro in the office for $200.00. The bariatric team local to me charges 75.00 per fill which seems more appropriate for a simple office procedure IMHO.

[kimalicious 5]

I go to the Surgical Center at Richardson in Richardson, Texas and they charge me $50 with insurance and $200 without. Lord only knows what they charge my insurance...

[New Hope 37]

It appears to be like everything else band related....nothing's consistent. Pre-op preps, port placement, post-op eating stages, fills - when/how much/cost --seems each dr. sets their own rules. Confusing!

[DeLarla 22]

I think it stinks that they charge insurance so much. It's no wonder most insurance companies refuse to cover the band. It's all sickening.

While we are here, I'm gonna post that I paid $7,500 for my surgery in TJ. I just called the local band doctor and nearly gagged at what I would have paid in Vegas. The hospital alone is $13,000, then add in the surgeon's fees and the anesthesia. Almost THIRTY GRAND FOR SELF-PAY. Is that insane! And people ask me why I went to Mexico?

[La_madam 20]

I got to TJ and the price Ortiz charges is 100 that is for the use of the fluoro machine, but he was working on a new system last time I saw him for my esophagitis.... if a patient refers a patient to him he will give a free fill to the patient who referred them and the patient who was referred will save 500 on the cost of surgery. I just sent a referral who will be having surgery on 1/5/05, so we will see if I get charged on the 17th when I go for my 3rd fill

[Rebeccalee 2]

My doctor charges $300 for a fill without fluro. Or he charges $3500 for 3 years of follow-up. When he decided he didn't like what my insurance paid, I ended up paying $5000 for surgery and $3500 for follow-up. Thank goodness the hospital and everything else was paid by insurance, except for my 25% share.

It can be very expensive no matter which way you go, but it has certainly been worth it for me so far.

[melissalee 2]

I had my fill done under flouro at the hospital, not by my surgeon I might add, and they charged my insurance nearly $1000!! He ahd to do it twice, once to put too much in, then the barrium, then again to take some out and barrium again. Seems like I shouldn't be charged twice for his mistake but it is the insurance... Unfortunately, it's the beginning of the year for me so back to paying my deductable. That should take the fun all out of it.

[DeLarla 22]

Michelle, don't be afraid to remind them that they owe you a fill. Becca, I have no idea what you said... did you pay $8500, or did your insurance pay for your band?

And $1000 for fills - insanity.

[Rebeccalee 2]

I paid $8500 for surgery and follow-up. The insurance paid 75% of the hospital, anesth., labs, etc. My insurance requires that anyone who bills them accept their payment as paid in full (it's a federal govt. thing.) Since I had paid the surgeon up front, he decided the $1200 the insurance sent was not enough. That's not how it works, but I didn't want to lose my doctor, so I just let it go. I had to pay his whole bill and decided to pay for the follow-up, too, since he would no longer accept my insurance.

I feel very lucky that my insurance covered the other parts and I have a doctor who is fairly close.

[DeLarla 22]

(dribbling drool on myself) Bec, I'm still not following. Was the procedure $8500? And your insurance paid 75% of that? This is getting very complicated. I guess it's not even important, but I'm a lil bored.

[Rebeccalee 2]

It's just different than some. The hospital and surgeon are separate. Insurance paid most of the hospital bill -- $6500 or so. (Of course the hospital billed them an outrageous sum, but the self-pay was only 6500.) Self-pay would have been something like $16,000. I paid $8500 and 25% of all the tests and the rest.

[HarleyNana 10]

My surgery was done in Hampton, VA. It was a package deal of $15,750.00, broken down..$10,500.00 hospital-1 night stay, $4500.00-surgeon, $750.00 anesth. All paid up front. That did not include the $150 psych bill. Now every one who read an xray is trying to charge me additional, the ekg readers want money. I keep refering them to the hospital and dr's office. I'm not paying any more!

Then the hospital called and wanted me to work out financial arrangements for these other little charges because I DIDN'T have insurance. I told her I DO have insurance, and who it's with is immaterial because they don't cover wls and they wouldn't be getting anymore than the $10,500 certified ck they got before they did the surgery.

They kept trying to get me to pay 1/2 the charges since they thought I had no insurance, but once I told them I had insurance, they were trying their best to get the name so they could bill them full price. That's why our rates are outrageous.

I own a construction business, one day one of my guys got cut, as soon as he went to medcare, they wanted to know if workers comp was paying, I said NO, I would be paying. Now if he'd broken his leg and was going to be out of work for a while, I would have give them the w/c carrier's name. Paying that $150.00 for stitches prob saved me a couple of thousand from prem increase for reporting a claim. Workers Comp Ins, that's another whole ballgame.

Oh Lisa, I guess I was kinda bored too, ramble, ramble, oh yea, fills and follow up are included for a year, without fluro, after that, I won't care, because I'll be at goal. (Please Lord let me be at goal, lol.)