If you are considering having a surgery to help you remove your excess weight, such as a gastric bypass surgery, the cost can be extensive. There are many different options to help you finance the operation.
While medical insurance is very important, having medical insurance does not mean you will not need to pay for all or part of the procedure yourself. In general, gastric bypass surgery costs between twenty and twenty five thousand dollars.
Whether or not the procedure and related costs are covered by health insurance depends on your insurance company, your state, and your specific policy, among other factors. Make sure that you examine your policy carefully, and speak to an agent about exactly what you will be responsible for.
Some plans explicitly exclude obesity treatment, weight loss surgery, and related care, which means that they will not cover this procedure for you in any way. If this is the case, you may want to consider switching companies, or delaying your surgery until a change occurs.
Next, you will need to be preauthorized by your physician, to qualify you for the surgery. Once you have seen the specialist and have been deemed a candidate, you will need to begin the pre-authorization process.
The approval process can be a bit more complicated than it is for other common medical procedures. It is likely that your company will request both your physician and your surgeon send in something called a “letter of medical necessity,” as part of the pre-authorization process.
At this point, your request for authorization will be approved, denied, or the insurance company will request additional information. If you are lucky, you will approved and will be able to proceed forward at this point.
If you are initially declined, do not give up home just yet-your doctors may need to follow up with phone calls, further documentation, or additional letters as requested by your insurance company. You may need to fill out appeal information to try to push the process forward again.
You are typically allowed a thirty to sixty day window from the date you were denied to appeal. The process usually begins with a letter of appeal being sent in to the insurance company by you, your surgeon, and your doctor.
If you are on Medicare, a portion of the costs and related care may be covered, but only if you are both obese and you suffer from an obesity-related disease such as type 2 diabetes, or coronary heart disease. Make sure that your surgery is done at a reputable hospital.
Medicare does not cover this procedure for patients who are overweight, but do not have any of the specified related health problems, even if a doctor has officially diagnosed the patient as being obese. Your agent can help you to understand exactly what you are going to need to do.
If you do not have coverage of any kind, you will need to pay for the surgery yourself. This is referred to as being a self-pay patient.
Sometimes discounts are made in these cases, and you may be able to make payments instead of paying the whole amount at the time of service. Talk to the hospital about working out affordable payments, and see what they are willing to accept.
You may want to consider taking out a small loan, if you will be able to make payments on it on a regular basis. The last thing you want is to sign up for a loan, only to not be able to pay it back, and damage your credit considerably.
Make sure that you consider all of the costs that will be involved, not just the initial surgery fee. You may also need to finance psychologist appointments, nutritionist consultations, the surgeon bill, anesthesia expenses, medical tests that will be needed, and any necessary medications.
These costs can certainly add up quickly, and you will need to be sure that you can handle them. Make sure that you completely budget all of the necessary information before you sign any papers or contracts.
If you are careful, you can fund the process completely, and improve your health dramatically. Talk to your physicians and insurance agents today to get started.
Jack R. Landry is an expert in the Medical Insurance Industry, helping businesses, families and individuals find affordable health insurance for over 15 years. He recommends http://www.comparemedcosts.com for compare medical insurance quotes.
Contact Info:
Jack R. Landry
JackRLandry@gmail.com
http://www.comparemedcosts.com/
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