Question:
Wa. Self Pay payment help?

Hi Washintoniana and others. I am considering Self Pay because my Insurance is being rediculouse. Anyway I was wondering who of you have done self pay and where and what Dr and did they do payments and how much and how much down. Please I need help. I am hoping that after I pay for the surgery that my insurance will pay for the visits you know as "regular Dr visits". I really appriciate your time. Have a great day. Thanks Amanda    — Amanda A. (posted on June 4, 2005)

June 4, 2005
I was self-pay, went to Dr. Alejandro Aguirre in Ensenada, MX. I borrowed the money from my bank and am making payments to them. If you would like information about Dr. Aguirre, please email me. He is an excellent surgeon. Best of luck in your journey.
   — [Deactivated Member]

June 5, 2005
From everything I can find you will usually have to finance through a bank. The exception may be some of the bariax only places and surgeons that advertise on the web.
   — Jenny X.

June 6, 2005
Hi Amanda, I live in Oregon - so not far from you at all! I was a self-pay patient, too. I went through insurance denials with two companies (BC/BS and ODS) and learned fairly early on in my fight that there was pretty much no way they would ever pay - both have air tight exclusions for anything related to weight. So, I self-paid. I went to Spain - to the wonderful Dr. Aniceto Baltasar - for my surgery. I can say no hesitation whatsoever that getting denied for surgery by the insurance companies was a HUGE blessing! I doubt I would ever have found Dr. Baltasar or had the incredible success with losing my weight and enjoying incredible restoration in my life if I hadn't. For my surgery, travel, all expenses - everything - I paid $15,000. I had an open BPD/DS - which included gallbladder and appendix removal. I was in Spain 19 days total (I was a horrible surgical risk, so I decided to stay a little longer than is typical). It was an incredibly positive experience. For my post-op follow-up care, my PCP agreed to order the appropriate labs, etc., and then we send the results on to my surgeon via email or fax. My visits to my PCP have always been covered. If you'd like to you can check out www.drbaltasar.com and www.bodybybaltasar.com - and please, let me know if I can answer any questions, etc. Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

June 7, 2005
The Surgical Weighloss Clinic in Tacoma is great. They are now doing the Lap Band for $12,800. They also have financing info too. I am set to have my surgery with the 7/19/05. Let me know if you have any questions and hope this helps. Tessa
   — Tessa S.