Wow, Darcie!!!  I hope only the most peaceful and restful of holidays for you and your family! 

Incredible, 185 pounds lost and maintaining for over 9 years!  What an inspiration you are for all of us!

 Hey Terri -- Insurance auth and approvals is my department .Ive been wading trough that mess for years now and have gotten thousands of patients approved for surgery ... I read this and your updated post and checked out your profile but didnt see what insurance plan you have .... but you used the term co-insurance....  Insurance criteria, coverage and plans specifics can be very complicated since they are all so different depending on your plan, employer and even various divisions within an employer......

If it is a Blue Cross/Blue Shield of AZ policy (not a self insured, City, union, or school distrcit plan) they do have a mandatory $1000.00 Bariatric Access Fee which is withheld from your surgeon's fee. It is basically a co-insurance that BCBS had placed in their policy and it the responsibility of the patient to pay in advance of surgery....  The other $100.00 sounds like a typical deductible or co-pay for hospital.  Your surgeon will most lkely require that it be paid in full prior to surgery....

I always get as much detail on financial requirements for all patients from day the first day they see me so no one is shocked when surgery day comes.   Once I get an auth letter I then re-verify all the financial again... I wish you had been advised from the beginning.... 

You can always log into your insurance company's website and check your benefits and co-pays from there instead of having to wait till Monday....Ill check back in a bit and see if you posted or you can email my profile and I can try to help you get you info 

Debbie,
I also like Dr Fang very much. Support is the best.
Terri

I called the insurance company this am. What they said
is That I do not have a Co-Pay. I have a deductable but that is charged after surgery.
When the Hospital called they used the word co-insurance. When I asked the insurance company they said I don't have that.
so now I guess Monday I will call the hospital and get this figured out.
Thank you all for all the good Ideas. More than one brain can work better than one.
Terri

I would check with your insurance. I had that happened to me when I called into the hospital. They were trying to say that I had to pay 20% of my surgery. That would have been $3'700.00 two days before surgery!! I litterally was having a cow, a horse and a chicken all at once.  My insurance and Dr. Juarez's  office  told me all I have is a $300.00 co-payment. The hospital admitting lady was kind enough to check on it for me. (maybe because I was ready to cry.) It turned out that the information in the hospital system is completely wrong and my insurance gave her the right information.