Self pay for lap band

What is an around about price for the band in ga?

not sure on the self pay aspect, but bear in mind when figuring cost of the band, you need to also consider aftercare into your equation. you have to return to the doctor for adjustments to the band, plus any complications that may arise during or after surgery.

it's supposed to be a day surgery, in and then out.  in my case, i was kept over night due to some slight complications. while my insurance covered this, you would be paying for that additional expense.

I was self pay for my band (Realize C)about 3 1/2 years ago.

 

I paid 12,000.00 in Tucson, AZ whi*****luded the pre op visits with my surgeon, my psych eval, anesthesia and the out patient procedure.  I went in for a 7 am surgery and went home by noon.

i also was charged extra for a hiatal hernia repair by the anesthesiologist and surgery center (my surgeon did his part for free).

my insurance paid 80% of that, but my part was about 600.00 if I remember correctly.

my fees included fills for the first 3 months and then I have paid 100.00 per appointment after that.

i saw my surgeon 4 times in the first 3 months (basically every 3 weeks) and then probably 10 times since then.  Now I see him about once a year.

 

Prsonally, I would NOT self pay for a band if I had to do it again.  They are too prone to complications and failure.

 

 

As has already been said, remember what comes next! Fills cost money and you may need fhem for several years. Defills as well - and whereas you can decide not to have a fill if you can't afford it at that time, you cannot decide not to have a defill if it is needed. Packages often cover a period of aftercare but there is no way of knowing whether you will require fills after that time.

It is very different here in the UK as fhe national health service would deal with any emergency or complication free of charge. I no longer need fills, haven't had one for almost five years, but that doesn't mean no cost. I have an annual barium swallow to check everything is OK and it may be that I need anothr fill/defill someday.

Kate

This was a from a website for typical cost for the band: And in the city of Atlanta the costs were about $20,000 for cash patients, but you may be able to find a lower cost outside the city and in a smaller town. But I CAUTION YOU...you don't want the cheapest surgeon, you want to find a SURGEON, IDEALLY HAVE DONE AT LEAST OVER 500 lap bands, this is your FIRST defense from complications and a good banded life.

Also you can negotiate fills and aftercare with your surgeon also, many surgeons will INCLUDE LIFETIME FILLS and UNFILLS with their costs and some don't so you want to ask about that when shopping for a surgeon.

Also VERY IMPORTANT, the band can get costly, I URGE you even if you don't have insurance coverage for the band, you will need some type of insurance once you get your band installed, there will be costs down the road for fills, possible Upper GI, endoscopies, etc, in the event you need diagnostic testing to check the health of your band,

Although, I chose the band FOR MYSELF, I would not recommend it to others, because it can get costly and you have to be very careful with it ALL THE TIME, you have to be careful at all times with how you eat to prevent vomiting especially on a very tight band, although most band complications are not serious, compared to the Bypass or Sleeve, most are just vomiting or reflux issues when they do happen, it does have A VERY HIGH COMPLICATION RATE with slippage.....you have to baby the band to keep it for long periods of time, and even then, there could be a high chance of things happening beyond your control.

I just had a new band placed, I had my old band for 7 years, my previous surgeon did not fix a hiatal hernia I had and this made my band to never work properly and eventually I had to get it removed, but I am very happy that I got a new band and I am hopeful this new one will work a lot better than the old one. Surgeons have more experience now than they had over 7 years ago when I got my band placed which is good news.

It was the BAND or NOTHING FOR ME, I DID NOT WANT MY INSIDES REARRANGED or stomach removed 7 YEARS AGO and I do NOT WANT THAT DONE TODAY....I AM NOT A FLIP FLOPPER when it comes to weight loss surgery, I did not want the band because it was cheaper than the bypass, I could have had the Bypass, Sleeve or any other surgery, but I CHOSE the band because I wanted it and did not want anything done permanently to my body that I can't reverse or regret down the road, but IF YOU ARE CHOOSING the band because IT IS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THE BYPASS OR SLEEVE....PLEASE DO NOT GET THE BAND.....

I loved my old band, and so far my new band seems to be a LOT BETTER, but that's just MY journey...I wish you luck.

 

Typical costs:
For patients not covered by health insurance, the cost of LAP-BAND surgery typically runs between $12,000 and $25,000, depending on the surgeon and the geographic region. It usually costs toward the higher end of the range in large, urban areas, especially on the East and West coasts. For example, Weight Loss Surgery Centers in Houston, Dallas and Baton Rouge, offers a price of $12,500. Oakwood Healthcare System, with several locations in Michigan, offers a cash price of $15,000. And at the Videoscopic Institute of Atlanta, Dr. J.K. Champion, M.D. offers laparoscopic LAP-BAND surgery for $20,300 to $20,600.
 

In addition to the surgeons fee you have pre op testing, hospital charges, radiologist because they have to be sure the band is ok the day of surgery. They do an UGI for this. Fills range from $50-300 and as KathKeb and Kate said there are unfills. They charge the rate of a fill for these.

I would never encourage a self pay to get a lap band. I loved mine but I had good insurance. They are a lot of maintenace and that is expensive. The biggest reason I wouldn't encourage a self-pay to get a band is that more people, including me, have problems down the road and have to have theirs removed. Then you have to decide whether you are going to go it alone or revise to another wls. More expense.

While the initial cost for another procedure is more than for a band the continuing costs are less. Go for another procedure, in my own opinion.

Unless you are independently wealthy I strongly urge you to research other choices. Besides the costs others have mentioned if ANYTHING goes wrong with your band it's all on you to pay for any tests, getting a band was the biggest mistake of my life, even tho I followed every rule to the letter it didn't work I lost all of 20 lbs the first year and nothing since then and now my band is empty because it kept tightening even without a fill. It cost me $225 for every fill and unfill and finally just gave up and had it emptied, couldn't justify spending that much money for something that didn't even work. Another thing is many docs won't even use a band anymore because of the low success rate, they are using the VSG (sleeve) more now. So do your homework before deciding on a band there are very many down sides to them.

Another weighing in to advise against the band as a self pay.  Our center charges $275 for each fill/unfill.  The band is a high maintenance item.  To succeed you must have great follow up care and that cost. Some will include the first 3 months, 1 year or even 2 years, in the cost.