Program Fees?
The fee with Dr. Thayer's office at Newton-Wellesley was $550 and not covered by insurance. It is to cover all those support groups and aftercare programs. I was a bit skeptical at first, but not anymore. If my insurance turned me down, the entire amount would have been refunded. If I decided not to have the surgery, they would have returned all but $100. I think this was handled very fairly.
I have a medical flex spending account at work that I deposit $ into each year. I reimburse myself for co-pays, otc medications, etc which over the course of the year saves me a lot of money. With a letter from my surgeons office, I was able to submit the fee and have it reimbursed which easily saved me $100.