Hi! 15 more days until my lap band surgery. This week is my final pre-op appointment & final payment is due

I have a very different opinion on this Kim and I hope I don't offend you. These surgeons are professionals who deserve what they charge. Just like an artist who produces a beautiful piece of work and charges based on his talent.......to negotiate, barter, bargain with individuals like this I think is insulting.

Carol

Thanks for your reply. I am most hoping to gain an idea of what is a reasonable price.

Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.

“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”

So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a few pencil strokes to create her portrait. He handed the woman his work of art.

“It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”

“Five thousand francs,” the artist replied.

“B-b-but, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”

To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”

You can only try. Or you could look around and find something thats in your price range.

I was a self-pay also. And looked into so many differnt doctors. BUt if you dont mined paying that much and you have that much then do it. Only you can make that call.

GOOD LUCK

Staceylca

Dr Jose.

MX

9-18-2006

-15 pounds

Thanks Stacey, Thanks so much for your reply. It is hard to get over the injustice of my insurance denial, and paying soooooo much to have insurance, only to discover I have a written exclusion for weight loss surgery. While I have worked to save up the money for surgery, I feel guilty. It seems unfair that some patients have no out of pocket cost and some bear the entire cost. I am trying to get over this and see the bigger (or smaller) picture, it is not easy.

Thanks Stacey, Thanks so much for your reply. It is hard to get over the injustice of my insurance denial, and paying soooooo much to have insurance, only to discover I have a written exclusion for weight loss surgery. While I have worked to save up the money for surgery, I feel guilty. It seems unfair that some patients have no out of pocket cost and some bear the entire cost. I am trying to get over this and see the bigger (or smaller) picture, it is not easy.

Kimberly150, I know what you are saying. My insurance company incorrectly told me they covered the lap band surgery and then months later I found out that my specific plan wouldn't. I was so disappointed to find out it wouldn't be covered knowing I couldn't afford to pay for it.

It does seem unfair to have to pay the whole amount, but I guess that's how it is. I can't afford to get it done here so I am going to MX. To me it's still a lot of $$ though.

Some people just don't understand maybe b/c either their insurance covered it or they have $$ like that pay. I feel bad to have to spend this much money on the surgery when I could use it on other stuff. I know how much I need the surgery so that's just the way it is.....

I can't answer your original ?, but I just wanted to let you know that I know where you are coming from. If some doctor will nego I say go for it. You know your expenses and what you can afford and they know theirs. Like someone else said though, you might do better checking different doctors for prices.

Good Luck!!!

I'm not sure I would WANT to go to a Dr. that negotiated his/her prices. It's an operation, not the swapmeet!

I'm not sure I would WANT to go to a Dr. that negotiated his/her prices. It's an operation, not the swapmeet!

I completely disagree...Being a doctor is a business plain and simple. Maybe they would like to get a cash payment vs waiting for insurance to pay.

Or what if they were just nice enough to lower their price. It could happen? Ex: My mother was laid off from her job after 20 years and needed surgery with no insurance. Her doctor at Duke Hospital waived his fees and all she had to pay were the hospital fees. If you ask me this man was God sent and didn't have to do it. He was a great doctor and without him she may have went blind. Don't discount someone b/c they would lower their price. That swapmeet comment was just dumb.

I agree with you 100percent. My husband and I pay 619.00 per month for BC/BSAnthem and they wouldn't pay crap. My PCP prescribed me Mobic yesterday for my arthritis that has set up in my neck from surgery and Lunesta for sleeping, they wouldn't pay for either one of those. One was 350.00 per month and the other was 116.00 month. Insurance companies suck in my opinion. I had to self pay in Mexico and got my monies worth, every penny. I wish you luck.

I don't look at it as bargaining or bartering. I do think that Self pay patients should get a discount. Not a fee negotiation, just a percentage off. There is not one insurance company that I know of that pays the physician 100% off the billed amount. Some pay as low as 30% of the billed amount and the most I have ever seen is about 70%.

I also have BC/BS who would not pay for my surgery, it took be 2 years to save the money and the entire 2 years I was paying outrageous monthly insurance premiums.

There's no getting around it the Insurance Companies always seem to have the biggest stick, so just look at it as an investment in your future, just like school would be.

I see no problem negotiating, in fact it would be silly not to, why pay more for the same exact service (as long as you've researched your surgeon). My surgeon had an arrangement with a small Hospital that would lower their costs if he performed surgery at their facility, and he was kind enough to pass those savings on to me, so that helped.

And Dr. Heikel although I can appreciate the analogy, a Picasso is much different than surgery as I've never known a lack of paintings to be life threatining

Best of luck Kim, don't give up, at one point I was so sure I would never be able to have surgery, and now I'm very happily 9 weeks post op

I completely disagree...Being a doctor is a business plain and simple. Maybe they would like to get a cash payment vs waiting for insurance to pay.

Or what if they were just nice enough to lower their price. It could happen? Ex: My mother was laid off from her job after 20 years and needed surgery with no insurance. Her doctor at Duke Hospital waived his fees and all she had to pay were the hospital fees. If you ask me this man was God sent and didn't have to do it. He was a great doctor and without him she may have went blind. Don't discount someone b/c they would lower their price. That swapmeet comment was just dumb.

I think that this is very different from what the OP was asking. I don't disagree with a discount for self-pay, heck, I got a discount because I drove myself to the facility I had my surgery at, but it's very different from NEGOTIATING a price with a doctor.

And I think that it's very immature that you would call my comment "dumb." Maybe ask for an explaination next time, instead of assuming what my words meant.

I think that this is very different from what the OP was asking. I don't disagree with a discount for self-pay, heck, I got a discount because I drove myself to the facility I had my surgery at, but it's very different from NEGOTIATING a price with a doctor.

And I think that it's very immature that you would call my comment "dumb." Maybe ask for an explaination next time, instead of assuming what my words meant.

Your right...I shouldn't have called your comment dumb even if @ the time I thought it was. It was rude. My bad.

And I understand your comment about the swap meet (no explanation needed). I thought it was pretty rude and still think it was. I'm just tired of some of the comments on here that people make, especially when $$ is involved. I think some people on here don't get it either b/c they have a lot of $$, their insurance is paying for it, or they just don't have compassion for their fellow man.

I really thought some of yal were taking jabs at her for the fun of it. I wish I could find a good doctor around here that could nego a price. I don't know anything about her situation, so I can only pull from my own. I don't have time to wait until I finish grad school and have a good paying job to get the surgery. I have to look out for me.

Like I told her it's probably not an option, but I still can be compassionate and understand where she's coming from.

I don't think that I wasn't being compassionate. My insurance didn't cover my surgery, and I'm certainly not rich. I found a good doctor within my price range, and I did, in fact, get a discount (like I said, because I drove myself instead of taking their transportation) -- that said, I never would have ASKED for a discount. I wouldn't go to a doctor that would lower his/her price for me (unless I had some very very special circumstances -- like a medical rarity that a doctor would be interested in studying.)

Thankyou Skyblue79 for your support. I have been in healthcare long enough to realize what big business it is and bariatric surgery is leading the industry right now with a huge profit margin! I believe most things are negotiable, and you have to ask for what you want. The surgeon I have chosen, did offer a discounted rate to me as a self pay patient, and I have 2 days until banding. While I still carry some guilt, I am trying very hard to see it as an investment in myself that will more than pay for itself at many levels. I look forward to a day when insurance companies (and employers writing exclusions) will not be able to dictate who is worthy of receiving this surgery, when criteria are met, and all else is equal.