Question:
What is the best way to find out how much different procedures cost?

I'm a self pay candidate, since my insurance has a written exclusion, and I'm interested in checking my options out?    — Julie S. (posted on September 30, 2003)

September 30, 2003
Hi - I had the same insurance you do and I too had to go the self pay route. The surgeon's office will tell you what they and their assistant charges and what the anethesiologist(sp) charges. The hospital has finance people who will give you some idea on what your charges from them are likely to be. The hospital will also require a percentage down payment based on what your probable total costs are. The surgeon I used gave a 20% discount to self pay patients if you paid in full within 30 days of surgery. On the plus side this moved my surgery date up significantly. The best thing to do is call around, but I don't think this really a buyer's market since Gastric Bypass has gotten so popular so I don't know what kind of deal they would be willing to make. I do know though that as a self pay patient they will make more off of you than they will with any insurance company so they are usually willing to try to accommodate you. Good luck to you.
   — Traci H.