Unfortunately, my insurance won't cover the surgery, so I have to pay out-of-pocket. I have made an initial consultation appointment to see Dr. Beltre in Altamonte, Springs, Florida. How does this work? Meaning, I know insurance companies make you wait anywhere from 3-6 months. Do you still have to go through the waiting period? Ideally, I would like to have the surgery as soon as I can so I won't miss out on summer fun with my boys (ages 11-17). Plus honestly, I'm afraid the longer I wait, the more apt I am to chicken out.

I don't know if surgeons in the US have any set waiting period. I think it varies on the requirements. Some might want you to lose a certain amount of weight and have medical test for clearance for surgery. Most will want you to do a two -4 week pre-op diet.

I am going to Mexico and did not have any specific requirements other than the preop diet. My BMI is lower than most though at 31 and this maybe part of the reason. I scheduled my surgery 2 months out so I would have time to research and prepare myself mentally.

Good luck and I hope everything goes well for you.

I was self pay & I had to attend the seminars & do my blood work, Bur the process was so fast & being that I was self pay, I picked the date I wanted to have procedure done.

Hello. I plan on self paying and having surgery in TJ, Mexico. They have emailed me instructions (in booklet form) and have great communication. I have had consultations in the US also and using all info from those doctors to make the best decision regarding my pre and post op diet. Different doctors have different requirements so I'm doing what I feel is best for me. Also, I was able to set my own date for the surgery (especially since I'm self paying).

I was self-pay in the states. I went in for a consultation on Feb. 1 and had surgery 2 weeks later. I had to have a psych examine, meet with a nutritionist, get scoped (because I have esophageal issues) and then I was ready. Did though have a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time and insurance approved that in a week.

On 5/1/2017 at 10:27 AM, YeaMe said:

I was self-pay in the states. I went in for a consultation on Feb. 1 and had surgery 2 weeks later. I had to have a psych examine, meet with a nutritionist, get scoped (because I have esophageal issues) and then I was ready. Did though have a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time and insurance approved that in a week.

So you only paid for the WLS part of the surgery because of the HH repair? How did that work?

I have no idea how the insurance company decided what they would pay and what I would pay. The hospital bill alone was around $35,000, then of course they discounted it to about $9,000 and then paid $6,500 and I paid $2,500. I also paid a portion of the anesthesiologist and the surgeon. All together I paid $6,200. My surgeon said it depended on what tools he needed to do each procedure and how long each procedure took.

I went through all the insurance requirements just to get denied. However, I think my surgeon would have still required a psych consult, nutrition consult, and upper endoscopy prior to surgery.

I had to jump through all those hoops too - $250 for psych consult, $125 for nutrition consult, insurance paid for endoscopy due to history of Barrett's.

My mom was self pay and did not have to any of the requirements that insurance usually makes you do.'we had the same surgeon and I used my insurance and had to jump through hoops for six months. She was self pay and just meet with surgeon and picked what day she wanted to get her surgery done. She did opt to go to a nutritional consult and had a one week liquid diet. She paid $17,000.