Question about Self Pay

Thank you. I registered on their website for a seminar November 17. I can't wait!

Let me add my two cents.  I agree with Jeanna.  Dr. Blackstone is one of the best and I would recommend her to ANYONE!!!  But she is NOT cheap. My mom has to do self-pay and I am going to take her, myself, to see Dr. Schlessinger.  I met him this weekend at the OH event.  He is one of the nicest people I have ever met.  He spoke to me as though I were his peer AND he stressed that he would talk to the patient and evaluate that person's cir****tances as an indvidual.  He does not believe in the "one-size-fits-all" approach.  AND because he is still setting up his private practice, he has the ability to give discounts on his fees. I truly believe that if I had met him first, I would have gone with him regardless of price.  I was really impressed! Best of luck with you search & be sure to let us know your experiece & opinion as you interview each doctor.  Like I said, my mom has to self-pay so I'll be interested in watching your progress. Dj

Thank you SO much for the information and the suggestion. I am going to call them tomorrow and see where I can go from there and I will keep posting on it. Thanks again!  It is so nice that I found this site for the support.

Just an idea on the financing.  There are several healthcare finance companies, you'll just have to see who your surgeon uses when you pick him/her.  You can also take out a bank loan, or do a home equity loan on your house (tax write off on interest there?).  What ever you do, I recommend paying for the surgery initially with a credit card that gives you frequent flier miles, or hotel points.  Then pay off the credit card with the loan.  Then get the loan paid off.  That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!!!  Also, it's good to "shop around", but your health and your life is not an area in which you want to pinch pennies.  Also, even though your insurance won't pay for the surgery, they will probably pay for a good portion of the pre-op work up tests and labs.  Good luck on your investigations!  And last but not least, if you itemize your taxes, this surgery will contribute to the medical expenditure write off for fed and state.  So save your receipts!

My aunt was self-pay with Dr. Robin Blackstone, and she said it was around $30,000 with all the tests, evals, etc. Good luck!