surgeon suggestion for self-pay near central IN

I am a self-pay & have no hope of getting insurance coverage for WLS. Any suggestions for a reasonably-priced surgeon & surgery facility in or near Indiana? I have talked to IU North & was told 50K. Now I started the process with St Vincent's, but even that will be close to 30K. Anything cheaper near here?

One of the girls in my support group had hers done at St Vincents last year and she said it was only 20k. Hopefully you realize not all is lost. There is always options. It just varies depending on the type of surgery you would like to get. Sorry I couldn't be more of help

My wife and I had VSG surgery. We had to pay for it ourselves too. We are both teachers and our insurance won't pay for any type of bariatric surgery. Period.

So, we went to Mexico (the Mexicali Bariatric Center). I know the knee-jerk reaction is, "That's crazy... Mexico? The place with all the drug gang problems and where they kidnap tourist?"

The reality is it was GREAT. We had to fly across the country... literally from the east coast to the west. The hospital was about two miles over the California border... and yes, it was a hospital, not a clinic in a strip mall. And the hospital was cleaner than most I've seen in the US. We stayed in a hotel the first night. Everyone spoke English. Everyone at the hospital spoke English. We barely knew we were in Mexico. The doctors were very experienced. The nurses and staff were great. I can't say enough about the experience.

And the best part is... it was about half the price of what it would have been at home.

St. Vincent's in Carmel has a large bariatric floor with special bariatric Operating Rooms and special made "large" MRI, treadmills, etc. for super morbid obese patients.  All care givers are educated in management of morbidly obese patients.  I had my RNY there 5 years ago and the care was excellent.  I would try to get them to work with you on self-pay.  I would think they could go 60-75% less than what insurance will pay. (I've found other hospitals to take 1/3 to 3/4 off for cash-in-full  within 10 days of admission).

Mexico is an option. Best wishes,

Penny

I see that your BMI is only 36, so I guessing you're planning on getting a Sleeve. I highly recommend you consider going to Mexico, but please, PLEASE research your surgeon very carefully. If you do good research and choose a good surgeon, you can have a surgery experience that's as good as any you'll get here in the States, for less than half the price.

I would check with the surgeons you like and see if they make an "deals" for you being self-pay. I know my PCP does that for sure! He actually takes half his price off - granted that's a PCP not a bariatric surgeon but it never hurts to ask!

I had my surgery done with Dr. Diaz at St. Vincent's in Carmel 15 days ago - he was FANTASTIC!

Good luck!

If you are up to coming to NC, I am self pay and highly recommend The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman in Mooresville NC. They have an all inclusive self pay package that includes complication insurance. Depending on your BMI, the package for VSG starts at $11,900. I'm paying $17,000 because my BMI is over 50 and have a longer pre-op diet which is included. Dr. Heider is top notch and his staff are awesome. Good luck in your search for a surgeon.

Here is a link to The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman

Here is Dr. Heider's ObesityHelp Profile