SELF PAY SURGERY

CAN ANYONE THAT HAS PAID FOR THE SURGERY THEMSELVES PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO PURSUE THIS. I HAVE ALREADY SEEN DR. JUAREZ AT ST. LUKES HOSPITAL AND HE SAYS THAT I AM AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR THE SURGERY AND THAT HE IS GOING TO LET THE INSURANCE COMPANY KNOW THAT HE WILL PERFORM THE SURGERY. I JUST FEEL LIKE IT WOULD GO BY FASTER IF I WAS A SELF-PAYER. ANY INPUT ANYONE, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PS. I HEAR THAT YOU COULD CLAIM THIS UNDER "MEDICAL BILLS" ON YOUR TAXES. ANY TRUTH TO THAT? THANKS, SALLY

Oomg why pay if you have insurance????? Save the $ for plastic surgery. I had Dr. Fang at St. Lukes for my surgeon. My bill was $54,000, why pay that if you can get it with insurance. MY g/f self-pd at St. Lukes around $25,000 and she was scared of complications, which she had none...TY god. But, if you have a complication, who is paying that bill? You? The insurance sure won't not with pior authroization. There is more to think about than just getting it over with. Sandy in Tucson 120 lbs down

I JUST GET SO UPSET AND FRUSTRATED WHEN I KNOW THAT I NEED THIS SURGERY SO MUCH. I FEEL LIKE BY THE TIME THAT MY INSURANCE HAS FINALLY APPROVED, I WILL BE IN WORSE HEALTH. THANK YOU SO MUCH SALLY

Sally; We all feel your fustration. We all have had doubts and personal trials. If you do have medical insurance, and you have followed there pre-qualifications. Stick it out. Self pay should be your last option. Either way Dr. Juarez is pretty booked up. Even if you are self pay it might be just as long as if you waited and got the insurance approval. I am sure you won't have any complications but if you do, you will be responsible for those charges also. What ever you decide to do, we are all behind you. Hope this helps and hang in there. Cynthia

THANK YOU CYNTHIA, I WILL WAIT IT OUT JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT. SALLY

I agree. Wait it out. Sandy and the other lady are right. Complications could break the bank. But in the meantime, do everything you can to make sure your body's in as good a shape as it can be by the time your surgery date does come around. I don't know how bad a shape you're in, but walk as much as you can. Find a pool and do water aerobics. Even if you're in a wheelchair, do chair excercises. The best way to maximize your chances all the way around is to do as much aerobic excercise as your body can right now to help you get through the surgery with some strength when the time does come. Also, make sure to take charge of your health care by getting exact requirements from your insurance company and making sure that you have letters of referral for all of your co morbidities ready to turn into the insurance company. I often list some of the things that are considered co morbidities, as many people either don't realize that they are co morbidities or don't realize they have them as they haven't been checked for them yet. Here's a partial list: acid reflux, circulation problems, arthritis, back pain, knee and/or foot pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, incontinence, wieght related depression.....if you have any of those or suspect any of those, make appts. to get them documented now. And also go to your PCP and get put on a medically supervised diet, just in case the insurance company wants it. Think proactively so you can get one step ahead of what the insurance company is looking for and take good physical care of yourself and you'll be in before you know it! Good luck. - Stephanie J

Sally - My insurance refused to cover my surgery, so I paid for it myself. It was a huge expense and I worried about it over and over again. Being self-pay didn't get me into surgery any faster than if I had insurance, I still had to wait for my surgeon to have availability and I also had to get all of my pre-op stuff out of the way. I think that if there is a possibility that your insurance will pay for the surgery then you should jump through those hoops first. It's a pretty expensive surgery. I hope that your insurance will cover it! Good luck! Jul in Phoenix