Question:
any discounts for paying cash up front?

   — tefont1 (posted on October 12, 2006)

October 12, 2006
It depends.... Some providers actually charge MORE for self-pays. (Nutty, huh?!) Just keep in mind that when insurance covers you tend to see an umbrella type of number - that includes surgeon's fees, hospitalization, anesthesiology, labs, x-rays, any other types of diagnostics, etc. When you self-pay, they all come in a separate bill, pretty much. So, for instance, when I first called to inquire about self-paying for my surgery over 5 years ago, I was fortunate enough to run into a particularly consciencious receptionist who answered my question with, "Well, doctor's surgical fees would be $50,000, then anesthesiology would be an additional amoung, as would hospitalization, labs, x-rays, etc." Yep - wasn't all that much longer than I ended up pursuing self-pay out of country! I had my DS with Dr. Baltasar in Spain - travel, surgery, 19 days in Spain on the Mediterranean - for $15,800. Of course, that was over 4 years ago, I had an open surgery, and the Euro and the dollar were on par. But today, for a lap surgery, the going ballpark rate for Dr. Baltasar would be about $20,000 (with quite a bit of pocket change left over). So - WAY the heck more affordable than the scenario above... So - do your homework! Ask lots of questions. Ask for stuff in WRITING. And if you're going to pay for your own surgery, make sure it's a surgery you're excited about and are happy about the post-op lifestyle requirements that go with it! Hope that helps a little! Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

October 13, 2006
I was self pay for Lap RNY this past July. The hospital gave me a discount for paying the estimated cost prior to surgery. My total bill ended up around $27,000 for hospital, surgeon, and followup care. This does not include pre-op tests. My insurance covered them.
   — bluebug78752