Questions about self pay?

 What does everyone know about self pay?  If you pay the doctor yourself and not go through your insurance is there a waiting period?  My mom is considering having the RNY done since I have had so much success and I will say she really needs it.  She needs to get off all the meds she is on for the co-morbities that she suffers from.  She does not want to have to jump the insurance hoops which can take years, so she is willing to self pay.

What do you think the price is?  Are there waiting periods for self pay, like will the doctor put her on a 6 month pre op diet like some insurance requires?  Any info that any of you might have on self pay would be appreciated.

Thanks

I guess some surgeons might require all their patients to do a six month pre op diet even if insurance doesn't require it but I don't think many do.  I was not self pay but my insurance did not require a six month diet and my surgeon did not ask me to do one.  It took me about two months to do all the things the surgeon required - I had to have a psych eval, attend a class on nutrition, meet with the dietician, get clearance from my PCP,etc.

One thing your mom might want to consider is if her insurance will pay for treatment if she has any complications if they do not pay for the actual surgery.

 There was no waiting period for me. We'll the doctor is busy, so they gave me a date a month away and in that time I got all the testing done. Self-pay made it much easier than what I read about here with all the insurance bs.

i went in in may and had my surgery in june,my psych,nut,and fitness person was all included in the doctors office i went to and done in one day time,i have medicare and they donnot require you to do a diet program and i'm guessing niether did my doctor,,but my friend (who also has medicare) her doctor is requiring her to lose a certain amount of weight so i guess it depends on the doctor you go to ,,the self pay for my docs office for people who wanted to self pay was 14,500,and office stuff was 300

Hi Lisa:
I was self pay. From start to fini**** took me about 3 weeks from initial contact to surgery date.  I had my RNY surgery in Arkansas, I am from Mississippi, my cost for everything was around $17,200.00.  This was in 2006.

Has she checked into her insurance's requirements?  I have never heard of it taking years unless it was in a country where health care is free.  It may not be that bad
I don't know how old she is but if she has Medicare they are among the easiest to work with.  The only requirements they have are a 40 bmi or 35 with 2 co morbidity's.  They don't pre authorize so the surgeon's office will be sure they qualify before they schedule the surgery.  The only waiting involved would be the surgeon's requirements (which would probably be the same for self pay) and how busy the surgeon's schedule is.
I have Medicare and with my first surgery it was 3 months to get an appointment with my surgeon and then 3 months until he had an opening.  Not fun waiting but no real hoops to jump through, either.  Just the normal pre op tests.
With my revision it was 8 days from when I saw my surgeon until I had surgery because of my complications.  Nothing but blood work and pre admittance tests before.
Also, it is a lot less expensive in Mexico and usually not a lot of waiting involved.  I have heard of people being scheduled almost immediately.

I was self pay, and started the process in April, and had surgery in August.  It took a while to get all the consults lined up - as I did have a bunch of co-morbidities that needed to be assessed including two sleep studies, pulmonologist, and a full cardiac work-up.  I'm glad it took the time it did, as it helped me get my mind in the right place for surgery.  I also followed the nutrionist's plan during that time, as it was covered by insurance.

As to the price tag,  I won't quote my price, as price differs greatly from one area to another or one group to another.  I didnot price compare, but went with a fantastic surgeon. You should ask the following questions
 - Does the surgeon's price include other procedures that may need to be done, and follow-up care?
 - Does the hospital cost inlcude drugs like anesthesia or oxygen?
 - What is the cost for the anesthesiologist
I would go with the quotes that were given to you, and also have a contingency fund available as well incase there are some unexpected costs.

In the end, I was able to pay for my surgery from some long-term savings, and having the surgery was the best decision I could have made.  

I was a self pay, even though my insurance had am exclusion we tried. My consult was 1/14/05, I had surgery 2/21/05. I got my denial on 2/8/05 and scheduled my date. My insurance did pay for my preop labs and test. I didn't have to do a physic exam.

I too was self pay, I however went to Mexico. Cost was $7000, I did have a 30 day pre-op diet based on my BMI. It was about 5 weeks all together from inquiry to surgery date.

I have a friend who was self pay here and her surgery was about $27,000. With no pre-op diet.

It is different with all clinics.  The waiting period is greatly reduced.  I considered self-pay as my option if I was denied, so I planned just in case.  I was given a flat fee for my surgeon, anesthesiologist and for the hospital.  I can't remember if that included all the pre-op testing...and those costs were significant.  I had my surgery performed through a medical school.  I will say though it was a lot cheaper than what my insurance was billed - half the total cost.

But this was my concern.  I was worried about complications and would insurance be required to pay in the even some unforeseen, costly complication occurred.  I attended several seminars, and I asked this question each time.  Insurance is not required to pay if your mother has any complications, and because she has other comorbidities she is at a greater risk.

If I were her, I would begin the insurance process ASAP and utilize that option.  I understand how she feels, but having full insurance coverage back-up will give her peace of mind too.