I have UHC and have the first call scheduled with the nurse on Tuesday. I know that if I go through the whole process and end up getting approved, with the way my insurance is set up, I'll still have to come out of pocket a lot. One of the questions on my list is to ask what my out of pocket expense will be...

My question is this: If my insurance turns out to cost the same, or be more expensive than going to Mexico to get it done at a reputable bariatric surgery center, is there any benefit to still going through insurance? Part of me thinks it would be better to just go to Mexico so I don't have to go through the 6 month process and jump through all the hoops that the insurance will require.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

My opinion is, there are a few things to consider.

If the insurance out of pocket is more than Mexico then Mexico is more cost effective. It is also faster.

The only reason to have surgery in the US is really just your comfort level. Will your primary doctor still see you if you have surgery out of the country? If there is a complication will United pay once you get back to the US? Complications are rare but they can happen.

Personally if I had to jump through all those hoops, I would have just gone to Mexico. Luckily I was able to go from first visit to surgery in 8 weeks with my insurance.

I'm at the same stage you are. One thing I have been pondering is post op care. I know the Mexican surgeons provide online post op nutrition support, but my local Dr has you come in probably a dozen times the first year. You see him, nutrition, spiritual and a therapist all at some point, as needed. Plus the in person support groups.

I'm trying to decide how important in person follow ups would be to my success.



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15 hours ago, vsgstacy said:

My question is this: If my insurance turns out to cost the same, or be more expensive than going to Mexico to get it done at a reputable bariatric surgery center, is there any benefit to still going through insurance? Part of me thinks it would be better to just go to Mexico so I don't have to go through the 6 month process and jump through all the hoops that the insurance will require.

Honestly?

If with insurance and waiting time it's the same amount of money you have to pay (or even more) I wouldn't bother with insurance. There's not guarantee they will approve you after all the hassle.

However, when calculating your costs you should think about all the costs that are likely coming up (e. g. what about complications? follow-up? pre-op check-ups), not only the surgery itself.