I have no insurance. Would someone please tell me the cost of a lap band? I need a miracle...........

Hi Kathy,

In the US the cost of banding and all the related care (surgeon, hospital, anaesthesia, etc.) can easily amount to more than $20,000. If you can find a place that does it as outpatient surgery it could be somewhat less. But you're definitely talking five figures.

In Mexico I understand it can be had for between $7000 and $10,000 depending on where you go. But you will have to find a US doctor for followup care if it's not convenient to travel to Mexico for fills and so on.

If you don't have insurance, Mexico is a good option. My surgery was $10K. Was it worth it? Absolutely!!

You might want to try the yahoo group MexicanBandsters. They have a database of a lot of Mexican doctors and the cost. Dr. Rumbaut is one of the more expensive docs, but I chose him for my own reasons.

Good luck!

i copied this info from another site...

Dr. Rodriguez - Accuna - $6500 (does not include air, transportation into Mexico, or hotel) JoseBand.com This doctor is very popular with his patients. He operates our of a smaller hospital. You fly into San Antonio and then travel to Accuna. One of Dr. Rodriguez's former patients will transport you for a fee. While Dr. Rodriguez was the least expensive surgeon I found, the flight to San Antonio was more expensive for me than to San Diego, and I was worried about the distance from any state of the art medical facilities and the logistics of traveling the significant distance from San Antonio to Accuna. You cannot take a rented car across the border.

Dr. Rumbaut - Monterey - about $10000 LAP-BAND: Dr. R. Rumbaut Diaz

Roberto Rumbaut Diaz (Dr. Rumbaut) was one of the surgeons selected by Inamed for its pre-US clinical trials. The results of his work--and the work of others in Europe--were what allowed the LapBand to be introduced to the US. I know he has placed over 1500 LapBands--I think more than all the Tijuana surgeons combined. The April 2003 edition of Obesity Surgery contains an article of the experiences of over 100 of his surgery patients who received follow-up in the US. Patient communication with Doctor Rumbaut is no problem, as he attended junior high school in Akron, Ohio, is completely fluent in English, and he answers his cell phone himself. Last I checked, his fee was $7500 and the hospital fee was about $2500. If the patient prefers, Doctor Rumbaut will cover the his fees and hospital costs for a flat fee of $10,000. Dr. Rumbaut is one of Inamed's proctor surgeons, supervising the work of those performing their first few LapBand placements.

Dr. Sanchez - Monterey - about $10000 BeLighter.com Dr. Sanchez comes highly recommended and operates out of a nice hospital.

Dr. Kuri - Tijuana - $8500 (does not include air and hotel) LapBandSurgery.com You fly into San Diego, and he will transport you to and from Tijuana. The hotel he recommends is one block from the hospital and charges $65 per night when booked through Dr. Kuri. He works out of a small older hospital which some Americans find disconcerting, but standards of cleanliness are said to be on par with those we expect in America. I have heard no real complaints about Dr. Kuri, but I cannot speak to my own experience as my surgery is scheduled in one week. All fills are free for his patients, though there is a $50 fee for flouro.

Dr. Ortiz & Dr. Lopez - Tijuana - $10,000 (does not include air) obesitycontrolcenter.com These doctors practice together and operate out of a fancier hospital than Dr. Kuri. Their price includes transportation to and from the San Diego airport as well as hotel in what is described as a five star resort. I have not read any complaints about these doctors.

Dr. Joya - Puerto Valletta - $9000 (inclusive) - DrJoya.com I have rarely seen this doctor discussed, so you may want to check into how many bands he has actually placed. I have seen some discussion about dissatisfaction with one of his employees and what was actually included in the inclusive price, but no complaints about the doctor himself.

dr. Ponce de leon - Tijuana - obesity.com

Dr. Robles - Nogales - grshealthy@hotmail.com

Dr. Diaz - Mexico City

Dr. Aguirre - Ensenda - aaguirre@microsol.com.mx

Dr. Gonzalez - Tijuana

Dr. Verbonnen- Tijuana

Dr. Isidro Vera - Tijuana - jisidrovera@aol.com

Dr. Castillo - Irapuato - arturocardiel@yahoo.com.mx

Dr. de la Garza - Monterrey - ObesitySurgery.com.mx

Dr. Tirando -Mazatlan - itirado@mazatlan.com.mx

hope this helps

I was banded in Michigan and my insurance denied me. The total cost for me was $13,000. This does not include fills. Most doctors that I checked into were between $15,000 and $20,000. Some will let you do "payment arrangements" if you qualify.

Dr. Joya has been doing Bariatric surgery for the last 10 years, he has done my surgery, and is the true leader in Laparoscopic Bypass surgeries as well as the Inamed Lapband System. With over 500 RnY surgeries performed he is ranked by the Mexican Bariatric Association as having performed more laparoscopic RNY Bypass surgeries than any other Mexican Doctor. And with more than 1500 lapband surgeries performed, he is one of the top 3 lapband surgeons in Mexico. Dr. Joya is a Gastroenterologist, in other words a stomach specialist and Bariatric surgeon. Not just any doctor qualifies for this and with training in the United States he guarantees the patient an INAMED lapband. This is important because once you get back to the states most doctors will not work on any other band. One final note, Dr. Joya has a network of more than 50 doctors to assist you post op for your lapband surgery. Don't go to Tijuan a and use a substandard hospital, come to Puerto Vallarta and enjoy not only the beach, but two of Mexico's finest and state of the art hospitals.

He has new prices! here they are listed below!

Lapband Surgery - ALL INCLUSIVE INCLUDING AIRPLANE TICKETS, SURGERY, TESTS, TRANSPORTATION, A REAL HOSPITAL AND HOTEL costs only $8000 us. NO HIDDEN FEES.

Laparoscopic RNY Gastric Bypass Surgery - ALL INCLUSIVE INCLUDING AIRPLANE TICKETS, SURGERY, TESTS, TRANSPORTATION, A REAL HOSPITAL AND HOTEL costs only $12,000 us. NO HIDDEN FEES.

Don't get tricked into going to Tijuana for substandard care, come to Mexico's Riviera, come to my favorite Mexican doctor, and have your surgery in a real hospital by one of Mexico's best doctors.

For more information visit his website: http://www.drjoya.com

Very truly yours,

/Jaxson Lee

Anyone else getting tired of reading the Dr. Joya posts on each and every thread???

I'm having my LapBand surgery in Everett, WA. Will cost me about $17,000 for 13 months of care including pre-op, surgery, post-op and fills. After a year, I'll have to pay for additional fills. I paid way more for my SUV and it sure ain't gonna' save my life so I feel it's well worth the cost! Had to mortgage our house, but what better way to spend the money!!!

Amen Jenna!

Kathy A.,

The cost for my surgery was astronomical! I am in New York. I recieved insurance approval and had no idea what they paid until I recieved my explanation of benefits. The insurance company paid $24,300. for the hospital (one night), anesthesiologist, operating room, recovery room, prosthesis, drugs, tests and miscellaneous. This doesn't include all the pre-op requirements that I had to go through, nor does it include the surgeon's fee. I am still waiting to find out what they paid him. If you do not have insurance or a huge bank account, then you should really look into having the surgery done out of the states. So many people have had success that way. The prices I just quoted really blew me away when I read them!

try finding some low interest surgery loans. I know that www.plasticsurgeryfinancing.com is one I looked into and www.lendingtree.com and www.beautysurg.com or...Maybe take equity out on the house?? Start Ebay selling to help pay for it? Sell somthing? I know that Christina was selling her wedding dress to pay for the band. Maybe talk to her about how she did it? I was lucky enough to be able to finance on my own though. Also, many doctors also have financing options. GOOD LUCK!!!

I paid $12,500 in Utah.I chose to have mine done in Utah so I could have great after care.

I paid $12,500. It included everything & follow ups & fills for two years. I am in Michigan & went to Dr.Pleatman. Here is his website www.laparoscopy.com/pleatman you can find all sorts of info there. Any other questions IM me. Good Luck

I paid $16,500 in West Virginia. That covered one night in the hospital. My fills are included for the first year.

Welcome! Nice to meet you! I paid $14,000 In Little Rock, AR. That price includes office visits, fills & aftercare for a year. Good luck to you! Many docs offer payment plans.

I live in Chicago and i went to MIBC for my surgery i paid 15,000 for my surgery but i have a year of free fills... I know alot of people on this site went to Mexico for there surgery but i would never do it. I am a proud Mexican but i dont trust the doctors over there. I know i paid more for my surgery but i feel safer with having surgery in the U.S.

Kim