Help!!! how to pay

I have regence ppo and after talking to them there is no coverage for surgery. Is there an insurance carrier that I can get on my own that anyone knows about? How if you are a person who needs to come up with 20,000 on your own without financing it come up with it?!?!?!?

Nancy - I'm sorry to hear your insurance won't cover the procedure. Some places have financing available. I know the Eugene Bariatric Center offers financing through Capital One. It's kind of like buying a new car, but they usually have better interest rates. Which surgery are you interested in? I know someone posted on here that Dr. Tersingni (I think that's the name) in Coos Bay does Lap Bands for $10,000. If you're interested, you might contact them. Linda

I have a BC/BS policy that also did not cover the WLS and so did the self pay option. I took a loan from Capital One that I am paying back and I just looked at this expense as any other type of major purchase (house, car, education, health). The one nice thing is that medical expenses are tax deductible if they exceed 7.5% of your income. I had a nice income tax return this year that I used to help off my car - which freed up some money that is now being used to pay for my surgery. One of the things my surgeons (Oregon Bariatric Center in Eugene) talked about at their informational meeting was to talk to your employer regarding insurance and what it would take to get a policy that covers WLS. You might also talk with your PCP and see what they can do to get your insurance carrier on your side. Good Luck with whatever you decide. Even though I have paid for it myself - its worth it. Jennifer

Jennifer, I hear you are back to work. How is it going? Did you get tired more than usual, by the end of the day? Julia

It felt like the very first day of school all over again. My feet are killing me and I could really use a nap. And...oh joy, the homework is already beginning to pile up. Who ever said teaching is a sedentary occupation? I wasn't able to make my support group in Eugene tonight so I will be coming tomorrow night to the Roseburg support group. See you then. Jennifer

I feel that way about work every day!! It will be good to see you tonight. It is at 7 p.m. in the hospital cafeteria. Julia

can you tell me a little more about the tax. How does it affect your return? I know that whatever exceedes 7.5% of your income is deductable but what percent would you get back....

I think I got back everything that was above the 7.5% mark but I'm not really sure. I used TurboTax and I just entered all my expenses and let the program work. What is nice is that you can deduct all medical expenses, not just the weight loss surgery. I had to ask my pharmacy for a list of what I had spent over the year and I gathered all of my BC/BS forms and included the patient balances. You can deduct...prescriptions, copays, hospital stays, lab work, all doctor/surgeon/psychologist etc fees, dental and vision expenses (including the glasses and contacts if they are prescription), and all travel expenses (mileage, hotel-I think if you have to stay out of town) that you incur to attend your appointments - whether they are for the surgery or other medical reasons. The mileage was a small added bonus because I live in Roseburg but had my surgery in Eugene which was a 120 mile round trip each time. You get to deduct these expenses in the year you pay for them not when you actually have the surgery. I had my surgery on 1/24/07 but I paid for it on 12/27/06. After all my medical deductibles were done, my taxable income went from about $40,000 to about $10,000. My total refunds were over $7,500 which for me is about a 650% increase over my usual tax return. If this is something that you are thinking about and you have someone prepare your taxes, I would suggest that you check with them to see specifically what things you can deduct so that you can start keeping a file of all expenses and receipts instead of having to backtrack like I did. If you use TurboTax or another program then you can go under the medical expenses category and see what kinds of things they include in the deductible. Jennifer

I decided to take out a 2nd on my home. I got a better rate & I also get to deduct it under my home. I deducted all my pre-surgery expenses on my 2006 returns. I will deduct over $21,000 next year. I asked if there was any insurance I could purchase on the side, just for the surgery, but the answer I got, was "no". Good luck! Jackie

I went to Mexico. Found a great surgeon and have done fabulously. I also got to write it off my taxes, as well!