Cost Questions

Hi. I'm SO new to this...I just registered about 10 minutes ago. My surgery is scheduled for NEXT TUESDAY (4-17-07). Yesterday I got a statement from my insurance company that says they're not paying any of the $895 for the initial consultation with the surgeon. They ARE paying for the surgery though. I also found out that fills are $1000. I have an out of pocket max with my PPO so I should be OK. I guess I'm posting to ask if these costs seem normal. Since I've never had (this) surgery I have nothing to compare the costs to. I'm so nervous now...and fearful that I may need to cancel the surgery. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! (I'm sorry if this isn't the kind of thing I should post here.)

We paid a program fee as well that was not paid by the ins. co. Some of the doctor's are now not charging this. I think your fill cost is a little high, but they are usually covered by ins. and they will pay what is normal. If you have to pay for the fills yourself, there is a fillcenterusa that you can check with where the costs are substantially less. I would rather stay with my own doctor though that has all your medical history. The surgeon's are so busy with all the people wanting this surgery that I think they are getting away with some pretty high charges. If your ins. covers them I wouldn't worry about it. My surgery was about 10,000 more than my husbands due to a longer period of time in recovery and observation. I had a little breathing problem. No problem with ins. covering it. Why would you need to cancel the surgery? I'm sure you can work out the 895 with your doctor's office. You should have been told ins. doesn't cover that. Good luck with your surgery....keep moving forward....

Lauren, I don't know who your surgeon is. All I can tell you is that my initial consultation was $100 and my fills are also $100 after the first year. I self-paid, so the fills for the first year are included. I think $1000 for fills is the highest I've ever heard. Alot of people pay around $350. You could post on the lap-band board. I would just put in the subject line--Survey, how much do you pay for fills?--. Alot of people do little polls or surveys like that all the time. Best of Luck, Stephanie

The survey will show the fills range in price from 150 up to 750 depending on the area of the country. Your right, I've never heard of 1,000 for a fill that takes about 10 minutes.

WOW! $1000 for a fill, I think thats awful! I would call the office and make sure what they are going to charge for the fill, they may charge your insurance more than a cash pay but that is far too much by any standard. If your insurance is paying for your band they should be paying for your fills too. Call your insurance co and find out how much and how many they cover per calendar year (get a fax statement what is covered). I pay my co-pay (I have a PPO) for my fills, cash pay is around $175 and the dr charge. I would find out what $895 intial fee was for, if its a program fee then insurance will not pay it but you should have been told about that at that intial visit. Do not cancel your surgery, you have come too far to let this ruin it for you! Keep us posted and we will be thinking of you on Tuesday! Good Luck, Jen

Hi Lauren, I just sent you a personal message regarding this. Good Luck, Diane

Holy Cow Lauren!!!! Seriously consider switching programs and surgeons! Those prices are outrageous! A full consult with Dr. Terry Simpson (lapband surgeon) are $250 tops out of pocket for a consult and $100.00 for a fill. It sounds like it would be worth your drive north to save some big dollars! Dr. DeBarros in Tempe also has better pricing than that! I'd suspect that Dr. Fang and Dr. Blackstone are less as well! Options! Good luck with your journey! Keep us posted! Joyce