WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT -- $4,000 PROGRAM FEE!!

No, insurance companies don't get "LIVID". You're just being ridiculous now.

You're not entitled to anything for free, doctors have every right to be compenstated for their work and their time/ A few grand is a small price to pay for quality care, a drop in the bucket actualy. I self-paid for my entire surgery and travel to and from, so I'm afraid you'll get no sympathy from me.

We aren't asking for anything for free.  We pay alot of money for our insurance and that is what we have it for = to pay for our medical expenses.  IF we have to pay out of pocket, then what is the point of paying all that money for insurance.  The doctors are being compensated - they just dont' like they are being paid enough - well neither are teachers.  Doesn't mean if a teacher wants to help a student  during lunch or after school, she is going to charge him.  It is her job and it also the surgeons job.

I had one years of NUT and NP appointments included in my surgery as well as all my preop appts with the both of them.  then after the year, I pay $80 for each visit with the NUT.  So, $80 2 times per year - I would have to live a long time to get to $4000 out of pocket.  Surgeons visits are all covered by my insurance.

You feel you needed to pay thousands of dollars for quality healthcare well, I paid nothing and got better than quality healthcare.  My surgeon is the best and at one of the top hospitals in the country.

So you're blessing the undercutting of doctors?

If a doc charges outside of insurance and you don't like it or feel that is is not worth it, go somewhere else. That's what the free market is for.

When an insurance company is only willing to compensate pennies for service that cost doctors much, much more to actually provide, that is asking docs and medical staff to work for free. So yes, you want care for free. I don't have a problem with doc charging cash for the difference, I wouldn't expect anyone to operate at a loss.

There is nothing wrong with doctors charging for their time, whether or not you can personally afford is does not mean it's overpriced. I can't afford the star of india, does that mean that it's overpriced? I also can't afford to eat caviar every day. Does that make it overpriced?

Good luck, Norma Rae.

I highly doubt any insurance company GIVES A **** because they will only agree to pay him minimal fees and that's the way they like it. If anyone should be LIVID, it should be the doctors that are basically forced to accept insurance, and the policy holders of said insurance. When I got my bills from surgery, I was absolutely ASTOUNDED at the amount of costs that were "disallowed".....now THAT'S criminal in my opinion!!!!!

Yes it sucks...my surgeon charged $3000 for mine. However, all my visits for the following year are paid out of that fee, along with the required nut visits and exercise person...

Part of it is they want to be sure and get fully reimbursed for those and not at the whim of what the insurance carrier might pay but the other aspect is they also are too lazy to bother coding it out to allow us to get it back after we pay.

My husband say another surgeon than I did...one who did not charge the fee...his nut vit was not paid by the insurance as she was cash only, did not participate in any insurance plan.. So there are trade off's.

Liz

What happens to the people who don't have the money?  This fee makes it seem more like "cosmetic surgery".

My sense is there are some of you who are in the afterglow of weight loss.  We see this different from the outside.  

Just call me "Norma Rae".  This is not simply about me but from the individuals who private message me.  I'm not so self involved that I think the world revolves around me.  It doesn't.

Now, who does D/s without a program fee?  I guess that wlll be my project after I get done with the ones charging program fee fiasco.

M

Dr. Rabkin in SF

I thought Dr. Rabkin did charge a program fee.  I stand corrected in a post below.

There is also Dr. Crookes at USC but I don't know if he has a program fee.  There is also Belzberg but that is with Kaiser and you would have a whole other fight on your hands if you want a DS through Kaiser.

Honey, in your very wettest dreams you'll never be Norma Rae.  ROFLMAO

He is in business for himself.  If you don't like the way he runs his busness, take your pathertic ass to a lesser surgeon and leave MY surgeon the **** alone.

Really, you're going to attack distinguished surgeons and call them unethical because YOU can't afford what the rest of us who went to them CAN afford? 

Go to someone you CAN afford.