Application Fees- added more details

Your doc - Macik. $250.

I didn't pay a dime with the program I went through - and I get to attend yearly events for free and recieve newsletters.   Plus - they have weekly support groups meetings - everything is no charge. 

I'm not sure how I feel about a fee.... doesn't 'feel' right, ya know?

that's what I'm thinking, but he is highly regarded.  I'm trying to see if Middle Man had to pay, b/c that's his surgeon.  But can't PM/BL him... so maybe he'll see my response to his remark.

Same here, no fee.

They're just trying to fund their summer trip to the Bahamas.  Are you with  a large INS Company?

Lots of surgeons charge fees. Some don't like the negotiated amount they will recieve from insurances. Some might call it an application fee, membership fee, program fee, lifetime fee, yada yada yada. It's not illegal, just them trying to get a lil more. Mine didn't charge any, but I did have consults with some surgeons that did. It wasn't a deal breaker I just liked my surgeon's resume and tract record. If he charged a fee I still would have gone to him.

After my approval I paid a $500 Administrative fee before I could schedule my surgery.  I used my FSA to cover it.  I believe it's gone up to $550-$600 since last year

Bariatric Surgery is just like any other money maker when it booms. There is a lot of money to be made and the insurance companies are making it. I was fortunate 6yrs ago that all I had to do is see the doctor ($10 copay) and pay a $100 fee for the psych eval.   In the nearly 6yrs since I've had surgery, I've talked to people *****port application fees, mandatory supervised diet programs or support groups for fees, consultation fees...etc. All very legal ways of making some of the money that insurance companies won't pay them. You must realize the while the insurance companies are making big money....the doctors do not because insurance fee schedules do not pay nearly half of the doctor's published fees; in order to keep up with the demand of patients seeking the process the doctors then have to increase staff and pay the big fees charged by the insurance companies for liability insurance to perform the surgeries.  So when you decide to get angry at someone...get mad at the people making the  money....the insurance companies.