Im disappointed. Just got phonecall from insurance company to say I've been declined. My comorbidites are not serious enough.

So...my only option is self pay. My surgery will be 22k. It's serious money. My bank has pre approved a personal loan to pay for the surgery which is great...but I'll be paying this back for years.

Has anyone else self-paid a large amount and had no regrets?

Blimey, that is cheap! $8500 Canadian Dollars is about £5200 pounds and I'm paying double that - and I believe that in the US, the operation costs about $22,000 US Dollars which is about £14,000 so you really are saving money. It sounds like you've done your research and you trust this guy and that's the main thing. How long is the journey to Costa Rica and will you have to stay there for a while?

For me it is about a 10 hour travel to Costa Rica. I am on the Far East coast and have to take two flights. But there is a direct flight from Toronto to Costa Rica that is under 5 hours. I would stay for a total of 6 days. Arrive the day before surgery to do all the pre-op stuff. Surgery the next day. Two days in hospital. And then released to a surgery recovery retreat for three days. Basically it is a hotel for people who are recovering from any type of surgery. Medical Tourism they call it. Nurses on staff, and doctors do follow up with you at the hotel. I have been there in the past for other medical procedures and was very pleased with the excellent care.

I am self-pay as well and so I am going to Mexico to have my surgery next Monday (a week from tomorrow). It is costing me a mere $5,700 plus around $800 for the flight there for me and my mom. (I am paying for her to accompany me). My local hospital would've charge 18,700. No way I could've afforded that.

I know it sounds crazy, and I totally brushed off the idea at first until in my research, it kept popping up...lots of people doing this in Mexico. Then I came to find out that 2 ladies that work where I do have actually done it already!! I picked their brains over lunch a few times and finally felt confident enought to move forward with it. No 6-12 months of waiting for me. I have only been making the arrangements over the last 2 months. And most of that had to do with getting time off at work and also a time that would work for my mom to go with me since I didn't want to go alone. The $5700 pays for everything but my flight there. It includes all preop labs, ekg, etc. 3 nights in the hospital and 2 nights in a 5 star hotel, plus transportation to and from the airport and also between the hotel and hospital, plus a guest to come with for no extra charge.

Appeal the decision. Contact a bariatric attorney for a free consultation. They will often provide enough info for you to do the appeal yourself. Might take 30 days.

Change insurance companies to one with less stringent requirements.

I too was self pay, and I don't regret it for a minute. It does put a little added pressure to lose weight, but I think it is a great motivation to not give up! It is truly a life-changing operation and it's worth every penny!

I am self pay also-23K and 9 days out from RNY. No regrets, this is an investment in my health and my life. Most people wouldn't think twice about spending that on a car.

Going out of the country was out of the question for me. I wanted to be near the surgeon who did it in case of complications, and in a third world country you have no recourse if something goes wrong. It just wasn't worth the risk to me.

Self pay almost 2 years ago. No regrets at all. Best decision for my long term health.