I know I should be grateful this insurance covers it AT ALL since my last insurance didn't, but come on - there's not even a doctor in the state, let alone many other places, that charge that. So I am going to have to pick up thousands of dollars in the difference, is that true?

I'm just a college student who works part time, I simply cannot afford it if they aren't going to help me out. My money goes to rent and tuition and books.

What is your advice, should I be looking for less expensive doctors now?

I would check with some of the surgeons that are in your area. I know the doctors bill the insurance much more than they actually get paid. I can't remember the exact amounts, but there was a huge difference between what they charged for and what they actually got from the insurance. I would say the best thing would be to make an appointment with a surgeon you are considering and let them run your insurance and see what they tell you that you will owe and go from there. Good luck!

Definitely double check. It might be a "negotiated rate", which means that no matter what the doctor charges, if you have that insurance, they can't charge more than that amount. With my insurance, it's 80/20, so whatever the negotiated rate is, insurance pays 80% of that amount, and I pay 20%.