Cost of all the pre-op requirements

Is there anyone who can give me an idea of how much it will cost for all the necessary pre-op requirements? I will be paying for it out of pocket, and am wondering what to expect. Thank you!

Hi Renee , Do you have any insurance ? My insurance has paid for most of my pre-ops , because they are typical lab type tests . If you have to pay 100% of everything it'll be similar the following : Dr. Consultation = $135.00 Endoscopy = $3752.02 Pathology = $193.06 Dr. visit = $90.00 Psych. eval = $260.00 Labs , etc... = $2640.89 internist = haven't gotten the bill yet Also some patients have to have a colonoscopy . Hope this helps give you an idea . Kathy

Yikes.....Thanks for the info kathy. I work for a small company, and have no medical. I guess I better start seriously looking for medical coverage. Are there any private pay Insurance companies that cover the surgery?

Renee, Hi! Just to save yourself some trouble I thought I would reply to this too. I did an exhaustive search for a medical insurance that will cover WLS. I even have the ability to change our company's medical plan. Unfortunately, there is not a SINGLE company in the state of Washington that will cover it for small group policies (which is what we are) or individual policies. But what they will cover is most of the pre op stuff, as has been mentioned, you just have to be careful that no one puts down that you are having the tests done because of weight loss surgery. Most procedures are fairly standard and being overweight you should probably get them checked out even if you weren't having surgery. Anyway, your surgeon should send you with referrals that don't mention WLS as mine did. There are many companies that offer individual health insurance for a fairly decent rate. Although deductibles tend to be a bit higher it's worth it when your speaking of thousands of dollars worth of pre op appointments. I would guess mine have been close to $5000 to $7000. I would check out www.premera.com or Regents Blue Cross they both have individual health plans. Also you might want to check out my posting last month regarding Blis which is an insurance that will cover complications after surgery (which won't be covered by a policy that has a exclusion for WLS like all of the individual plans that will be available to you) which can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Hope all of this helps! Corinna Q

Mine is up to about $5,000 at this point in time. I was found to have sleep apnea so I had to also spend two additional days at the hospital for sleep study and then my CPAP machine wich was $2,000 but my insurance covered everything except for about $600. I still don't have my surgery date but should have that any day now. I found this to be a very expensive venture even with insurance. I have no doubt it will be worth it. God Bless and good luck! Kathy

Who is your surgeon & which procedure are you having , Kathy ? You don't have that listed below your name . It doesn't take long for the costs to rack up , does it ? So far my share has been around $7-$800.00 I think . Next week is my Dr. pre-op & I have to bring cashier checks (i'm self pay) for the surgeons. I can't remember the figure off hand for theirs . The following week is hospital pre-op & I have to take cashier checks for $13,000.00 which is the balance . I'll be paying for this for a long , long time . Kathy

Hi Kathy, My doctor is Dr. Oelshlager at UWMC and I'm having the Divided Proximal Roux-y. I learning that this really is a committment not only emotionally but financially. Good luck with your pre-op, how exciting for you! Take care. Kathy

Hi Kathy , As far as i'm concerned you can't go wrong with UWMC . They are top notch . My mom spent a lot of time there . She had a lung reduction . Very serious surgery , especially for someone in her condition . She has emphasema . So needless to say I spent a lot of time there . My grandson was diagnosed with Autism by a UW specialist who went to Tacoma's Mary bridge for us . She spent 8 hours with him . I was very impressed . My cousins friend had WLS there & she has nothing but good things to say . It does take alot of committment on our part & our surgeons . That is why most of the surgeons run so many tests regardless of your co-morbidities . Sometimes things are wrong with us that we didn't know . I had several things wrong with me . They weren't major but needed to be treated before surgery . Keep us posted . Kathy

I think it TOTALLY depends on your preexisting conditions and your surgeon. I'm 27, no health problems at all, and all I had to do was an EKG/labs, plus a letter from a counselor I have seen recently.