Need help finding a surgeon

Hello all. I am new to the forum and in search of assistance finding a surgeon I can afford from people who have been through the process already. I have Anthem Blue Cross PPO insurance. I called one doctor already, but they wanted $5,750 up front before I could even schedule the surgery even with insurance. Do they all expect this? I can't afford that much right now, but I am at a point where I can't afford not to have the surgery either. Can anyone recommend a surgeon that hopefully won't want so much money before I can even schedule a surgery? Thanks for any help :)

I am not sure where in California you are but my bariatric center did not have any type of money up front type thing if you have insurance.  I used Dr. Takata out of San Diego.

http://www.scripps.org/physicians/5450-mark-takata

 Some do, some don't. If you don't want that particular surgeon enough to pay it, just keep looking!

Ah ha, I also have Anthem Blue Cross PPO and given that dollar figure, I suspect you talked to my surgeon.

I definitely didn't want to pay that fee, but I was happy to pay it so I could have access to that surgeon's level of success and expertise.  You can find others who will do it cheaper, but you sorta get what you pay for - you could have a surgeon that's just a general surgeon and doesn't specialize in bariatric surgery, or you could have a surgeon that's only done a few hundred sleeves or bypasses.  I knew I had to live with this surgeon's handiwork on rearranging my guts for the rest of my life, so I considered it the best money I could ever invest.

Many surgeons expect an after-care fee, but others do charge less.  Almost all of them will help with financing though.  I've seen some charge like $800 or $1,000.  Honestly though, I would compare the surgeon's metrics - you should shop around and ask each surgeon about their average success rate, mortality rate, leak rate, etc.

Good luck in your search!

 If you are still searching, I higly recommend that you try Dr. Jossart.  He was Dr. Cirangle's partner until about a year or two ago.  I have BCBS Federal and my total out of pocket costs were $150.  I consulted with three different surgeons and he was the easy choice because he is a master of the technique, having done thousands of sleeves.  Plus he is a very nice guy and compared to other surgery practices (UCSF in particular) his office is a breeze to work with.  Surgery was scheduled within two weeks of my visit with him, and no ridiculous hoops to jump through!