Paying for the band (student loans?)

[libguy2753 0]

Hey guys! I'll be a sophomore in college this fall and really would like to get banded. The main problem for me is the cost. No insurance, and I don't work full-time, so I don't think my credit union would give me a loan for the surgery.

Has anyone gotten a student loan and used the money to pay for the lap-band? Is this even possible and what are some good companies? I have excellent credit that I've built up the last few years, which I know is helpful. My score is in the mid 700s.

Any help would be great. :redface:

[colorado.girl80 8]

I have some student loans and I am able to use mine for whatever I want. I believe its the same with all student loans.

Have you checked into prices for the lapband? I was a self pay and it is pretty pricey. You might would need a few student loans to pay for it.

As for a good company to get it from........you should check with the financial aid department at your school. They usually have some good suggestions.

[libguy2753 0]

Actually, the hospital I'd be going to is one of the cheapest for lap-bands in the country. They charge $10,700, which is only a couple thousand higher than the Mexican surgeries. And this one is only a 90 minute drive for me. It's in Detroit.

[colorado.girl80 8]

That is a good price. The place I got mine done at was a little cheaper than yours but not much.

[libguy2753 0]

Thanks for your responses. This place is great. :redface: I think posting here would probably be a huge help after getting banded too.

I've seen a lot of older individuals who are married, have good salaries, etc around the forum. So I wanted to talk to some younger people and see how they're getting banded and paying for it. Any other advice anyone has would be great.

Edited January 31, 2009 by libguy2753

[Blaze21 5]

In order to do this you would have to take out a private student loan. I've seen a lot of commercials where I am(PA) offering up to $40k in student loans. I personally have medicaid, so that's how I got my band covered. I couldn't possibly justify taking out a student loan to pay for this surgery, my tuition is high enough and I'm in student loan hell or at least I will be when I graduate

[OneHotMama 0]

IF you have good credit, have you thought about using a credit card? There are also a lot of Doctors offices that have finance companies you could go through.

[libguy2753 0]

In order to do this you would have to take out a private student loan. I've seen a lot of commercials where I am(PA) offering up to $40k in student loans. I personally have medicaid, so that's how I got my band covered. I couldn't possibly justify taking out a student loan to pay for this surgery, my tuition is high enough and I'm in student loan hell or at least I will be when I graduate

The amount I have to take out in student loans is relatively low compared to a lot of other people thanks to grants and scholarships, so I'm thinking it might be worth it for me to use a private loan to pay for the band.

IF you have good credit, have you thought about using a credit card? There are also a lot of Doctors offices that have finance companies you could go through.

I do not have a credit card that is anywhere near a high enough limit to pay for it, and even if there was, the interest rate would be pretty high. The problem with the finance companies is that they ask how much you make in a year, and being a student that works part-time, I doubt they'd finance me.

[Losing 2 0]

I drove nearly four hours to get banded at the location you chose in Detroit. I used care credit for a portion of my self pay. Best of luck to you.

[libguy2753 0]

Ooh you got banded there? How'd you like the hospital and the doctor? Would you recommend it? I'd love to hear from someone who had it done in Detroit.

[Losing 2 0]

Ooh you got banded there? How'd you like the hospital and the doctor? Would you recommend it? I'd love to hear from someone who had it done in Detroit.

--------------

Dr. Laker was my surgeon, he was awesome! The surgery staff and nutritionist... Great!

The hospital is ok - they took care of my needs. I was well educated on what to expect and ask for (got all of that info from these boards). :tongue2:

[Nobody's Girl 0]

I used my student loans for part of my surgery and took out a loan for the rest. Its coming back to bite me in the butt already, but I am glad I did it.

[libguy2753 0]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Right now, I'm looking into a couple other possibilities. Though it would be worth it no matter what the cost to lose the weight, it's still so hard for me to justify taking out student loans with insanely high rates.