Hey All... assuming i'd go US... and have no insurance coverage (i'm self insured... so no coverage.. in fact there is an exclusion)--- what are options for paying for this if I only have about 4-5K saved up....

Why not Mexico??? I come from a medical family and I as well as they were all supportive of my decision to go to Mexico. I had exclusions on my insurance and WLS was not covered at all. My PCP here in the states was also supportive and agreed to do all of my aftercare which is really none other than twice yearly lab work. My sister is a nurse practitioner at Shock Trauma in Baltimore and the surgeon that she works for (Chief of Staff) knew of my surgeon and highly recommended him!

My surgeon is Harvard trained and even trained the surgeons at Johns Hopkins and many other hospitals in the US. He changed my life and I am so glad that I chose him!!!!

Obviously, this is a personal decision but if you do your research you will learn that some of the best Bariatric surgeons are in Mexico!!

Good Luck!

I agree - Mexico is the cheapest option. There are a bunch of ppl on this site that have had excellent results from surgeon's in Mexico. Good luck!

Do you have a 401K you can borrow from?

Don't laugh - sell stuff! Ebay and such brings better in than a yard sale.

BEGIN SAVING while you figure this out. Stop going out to eat, stop getting drinks on the go...cheaper brands, etc...it adds up.

I sold my extra bike rack and punching bag, etc...a set of dishes, a couch! lol...you can be very suprised at what you decide you do not need!

I hada friend dropped his gardener, and used the lawn care time as exercize - and saved an extra 200$ month.

I wash my own car, am more careful with the laundry, just so much.

Avoid the medical loan if you can!

I was self pay too. I ended up with a 20,000 bill. From what I can tell this is the high end. I had some savings and took out a loan. I figured I would by a car for that and I am worth way more as an investment.

If you want to save $$$ mexico will be the best option, Mexico has very good Dr's... do your research, In Mexico you are looking to spend around 6k to 8k, US is about 10k to 30k... Good luck

I was self pay in US with a 16Kish bill. We paid about half cash and the other half we put on a new credit card that is no interest for 18 months, so we plan to pay it off before the interest hits. I was saving for a car, but this was more important.

i'm not opposed to mexico.. i just worry if there are complications-- then what?

Mexico is 4500

i'm not opposed to Mexico.. i just worry if there are complications-- then what?

You will be fine anything could happen here

First things first.

Pick your surgeon. Mexico, US, Mars.... Whatever.... Pick a surgeon that meets YOUR criteria, standards and comfort.

THEN figure out how to afford the surgery.

My best advice is to NOT choose on cost- this is your health, your LIFE, shouldn't you make the decision based on what is GOOD for you and not what is cheap?

If Mexico is your choice, than awesome... You can probably find the money somehow now. If a US surgeon is your pick- either find/make the money, wait and save or take a loan.

If you pick a good surgeon, one with a good reputation and good stats and you do the pre/post-op diets as prescribed.... You will be mitigating your post-op complications.

Keep in mind that nothing, NOTHING (not even choosing the best surgeon in the world) can eliminate all risk of complications.

Best of luck on your journey.