My story and vent

It's required by my insurance. I just think it's ridiculous that there is no scholarship/sliding scale in place for low income individuals. Research has shown that the demographics most affected by obesity is low income areas.

Slightly tangential to your original post --

After surgery, it is imperative that you take the right vitamins and remain compliant for life. They can be very expensive. This program has been absolutely a god send for me -- I would encourage you to apply now as there are a very limited number of grants.

http://www.wlsfa.org/looking-for-help/celebrate-assist/

I agree that there should be more support for people who are lower income. Remember that the insurance companies are out to make a profit, period. They're not really there to help us. :/ I could go off on a rant about healthcare in this country, but I'll spare everyone my political stance. However, I will state that WLS is one of the areas where universal healthcare wouldn't really help much, because it's typically seen as an elective surgery and from what I've read, is subject to longer waits than we have here.

In the long term, you will likely find that you save quite a bit overall if you have co-pays on your meds. While it's not a guarantee, most of us reduce our meds by a large degree. I have gone off about 6 meds since surgery. That's of course offset a bit by the vitamins you'll need post-op, but I am saving more than I'm spending.

Some people report their grocery bills go up because they're needing to eat more meat and higher quality food. I'm finding that when I'm cooking at home, the amount of food is going down enough that grocery expenses are about a wash. Your mileage may vary, of course.

I wouldn't say finances are a good reason to have WLS, but once you get through the surgery itself, you'll very likely find that it's a positive thing overall for your wallet.

This is not a requirement for all surgeons, so it would do you well to shop around to see what different practices require. Some have "program fees" that are not covered by insurance as a means to supplement the deep discounts they agreed to with the carriers. Other surgeons provide these resources with no additional cost as a commitment to help their patients succeed.

You are a customer here, don't let your desperation to lose weight make you a subject to bullying.

I am sorry for her reply; this was not the type of response that you needed.

However, like others have said, there are additional costs besides the surgery. My insurance covered my surgery, but my payment was still $2,000 (they are paying significantly more...I think about 10 grand)

Cardiologist was $50

Nutritionist classes were $75 each

Psychiatric evaluation was $125

Vitamins/Protein Shakes/Supplements...I've spent over $130 so far

EBT (food stamps) covers some vitamins and protein shakes that you can find at larger grocery stores, but the rest of it does get expensive if you struggle. I am a teacher, so you know that I am pretty low-income. My DW and I both worked two jobs for about 4.5 months to get the money together....it's not perfect, but it works.

I would soldier on, do what you must, and not pay attention to the Snarky Janes of the world.

Please know going into this process that the vitamins for life is imperative. My friend had severe complications and lengthy hospital stays due to not taking her vitamins, and her health has never returned to where it should be. This is not something you can stop, or reduce. And it is not cheap.