I was just pondering this yesterday...it would be interesting to see the results of a study done on if there is a difference in the success rates of self-pay vs. insurance-pay. On one hand, people with insurance have a longer wait, are often required to prove they can stick to it with the pre-diet, and probably have better support from their medical team. But then on the other hand, spending out a big chunk of change can also be a motivator.

Just pondering...

I wonder... there is probably pros and cons to both sides, I know for me the biggest barrier was not the cost (I was 2/3 selfpay and 1/3 insurance pay) but was the fear of the process etc and the fact it was so life altering. The motivation to change will be the big variable though - as my doc reckons that the band always works - its the compliance of the people that makes it fail or succeed.

I was wondering the same thing as i am 100% self pay and scheduled for the procedure on 5/21. I know after spending over $10,000 failure is not an option for me this weight is coming off!

I believe the self pay part has been quite motivating for me!!!!

I am scheduled for May 18 and I am self-pay too. And yet I'm still afraid of overeating and how it will turn out even though I am paying so much money!

For me, it seems to be the opposite, but I can't say why. My band was completely covered my insurance and I'm doing well, but my other countless attempts (WW, LA Weight Loss, etc) were self-pay and I failed. I think you just have to find the right fit for you. Someone has succeeded at every method out, it just never seemed to be me!

Cindy

That would be a fascinating and worthy study! I agree with the earlier comments about pros and cons. However, self-pay banders also had to show certain levels of commitment before getting the band. Perhaps not a 6-month pre-diet for insurance approval, but I had several steps I had to go through too, like several evaluations and a two-week pre-op liquid diet. Since I was self-pay, I'm definitely motivated to stay on top of this and try my best to finally loose the weight!

I am scheduled for May 18 and I am self-pay too. And yet I'm still afraid of overeating and how it will turn out even though I am paying so much money!

I said being self pay had probably helped me a lot, but as one other poster said, she never succeeded with other costly programs nor did I. I mainly do well because my hunger and cravings are under control and when I am hungry, I get full quickly. Also, I have been conditioned to know that certain foods will cause me great pain thus I would not think of eating them!!!!!! Thankfully, I got over the junk food eating years ago and was quite a healthy eater most of the time. I just ate way too much for the cals. I burned. I believe the main component of success on the program is to get past the psychological aspects of overeating. If a person has serious problems causing emotional overeating, they definitely should get treatment for that first or probably will fail. Most places do not do an adequate psych exam from what I have read.

I said being self pay had probably helped me a lot, but as one other poster said, she never succeeded with other costly programs nor did I.

I think this may be because of the sticker shock...I mean, personally, I've tried other programs as well, and while they aren't cheap, they also don't require you to plop down $10-20,000 all at one time up front (in many cases).

It's more managable to drop a hundred bucks here and there over the period of months/years and not really mentally absorb the overall cost of what we are trying to do as opposed to having to shell out thousands of dollars all at once. I think that really hits home for those of us who are self-pay. I know it was for me...having to pay out of my own pocket is a constant reminder of what I have commited myself to and really drives me to succeed.

For me, it's about taking responsibility for the money I spent and trying to make sure I get every dime's worth out of the procedure.

Of course for all of us there is an emotional and physcial investment we make, and that in and of itself is generally enough to motivate us to succeeed.

Anyway, just a few thoughts as to why the cost of previous programs may have been easier to accept as opposed to the cost associated with the lap band surgery.

I was self-pay and that doesn't really impact how I feel about my decision. For me, letting my body be cut open and having a band put inside me was a waaaay bigger deal then the $9K I spent on the operation.

Other than having my tonsils out when I was 5, I'd never even been in the hospital before or had any other operation.

Catherine

In Australia, we don't have to jump through the kind of hoops for insurance to pay as you have to in the US. The majority of Heath Insurance companies in Australia cover most of the cost of WLS as long as your BMI is 35+, or 30+ with comorbidities.

From the time I decided to have the surgery to the actual date of surgery was 4 weeks.

So I would say that in Australia, the majority of us are insurance-pay. Yet we have good success rates here, easily as good as the US.