:scared0:Out of curiosity I called the Hospital where I had my sleeve done. I stayed two day. THe bill is the total at the hospital no Dr. fee's they will be billed thru the clinic where the Doc works. Ready!! $20,482.35 I was there for two days. WOW I can see why people go to Mexico without insurance.

Yikes, that is high!!

The insurance company will probably pay about 25% of that though. They bill high knowing they won't get it. It's all part of our wonderful "system."

As a self-pay, I paid just under $17,000 for everything. That's much closer to what insurance will pay out.

That is high, but as Mac said they always bill the insurance company high, the insurance company "wirtes off" most of it & only pays a fraction of what was billed. It's ridiculous if you ask me!

I loved knowing from the beginning how much my total "package" would cost me. I wish it were the case with all healthcare here.

Really, it is outrageous that we are purchasing a service in US hospitals and physicians' offices, but cannot be told in advance what our purchase will cost. I understand that needed services may change if a complication arises, but we should at least be able to getin advance a baseline estimate of what an uncomplicated service will cost us for xyz procedure and hospital stay.

I agree, it is another reason I love the idea of going to Mexico too.

For me, my insurance has co-pays so it's no big deal. I pay so much a night for a hospital stay, so much for a surgery, etc. But people who have PPOs and pay a percentage are kept hanging and that's crazy.

Our co-pay is 20% and it is frustrating! It's supposed to be 20% of the allowable, but many times the staff figures our part on the actual charges & thus we end up over paying up front only to wait to be re-imbursed. I like that our pediatrician doesn't collect from us up front, but waits to see what the insurance pays & then bills us. That way I don't overpay...but most offices won't let you out the door until you pay for services "at the time of service".

The funniest example I have is when I delivered our last child. A lady from billing came in to my room the night before we were to be discharged & showed us the papers indicating what we would owe. It showed over $1000 being due, but if we paid in full right there they would accept just over $900. Well, I told dh there is NO WAY we would end up oweing that much...I figured they didn't account for the "write offs". I was right; a few weeks later we got the bill from them & it was just over $300 total! Now if we'd have paid the $900, we'd probably still be waiting for a re-imbursement check!

No, the cost for SELF PAY in Wisconsin for a band is 18k - 25k, I've called around. The band I am guessing is higher. Medical care up here is much more expensive. I talked to a lady at a hospital in Milwaukee last week and she said she knew it was less expensive in other areas I.E. Texas and CA and could not explain it unless they were competing with Mexico. Who knows...anyway, that is why I am going to Dallas to get my sleeve....total package cost $12,200, that includes the 1 week post-op visit, the two week if necessary. He wants to see you at six months, and that's included and then again in a year. It's a no brainer. This man has been named one of the 'Top Docs' in Dallas for the past four years...but he is not the only one with similar prices in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Those are the ONLY three cities I checked. Definitely worth the flight, especially since we have family down there.

:scared0:Out of curiosity I called the Hospital where I had my sleeve done. I stayed two day. THe bill is the total at the hospital no Dr. fee's they will be billed thru the clinic where the Doc works. Ready!! $20,482.35 I was there for two days. WOW I can see why people go to Mexico without insurance.

My Surgery was 13,950.00 that included EVERYTHING, hospital, Doctor, anethisist, & follow up visits. I was a self pay. That was at St. Elizabeths Hospital, in Gonzales, La. by Dr. Ballanger.