Bariatric surgery

[forchinet121]

Can a person who is not obese pay cash and get weight loss surgery? Or would the surgeon refuse it unless they are BMI 40 or some cutoff like that?

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[akwho]

You can always cash pay for something in America. The trick is getting someone else to pay (ie insurance).

No need to guess at what the requirements are to get covered: insurer's post them. For example here is Anthem's requirements to get covered for bariatric surgery. Just find the equivalent documentation from your insurance company or ask one of the insurance company reps on the phone to email you the relavent policy.

https://www.anthem.com/dam/medpolicies/abc/active/guidelines/gl_pw_d085821.html

 

[Lem0nz]

Surgeons would be unlikely to perform for BMI 30 or less. Between 30-35 would be a pretty hard sell without comorbidities. You could find a surgeon who would do it for 35-40 without comorbidities.

It would be extraordinarily expensive. I hesitate to write this but at that point it would be easier to gain the weight to qualify for 40 and then lose it again and have your surgery. Unless you just don't like money.

 

[forchinet121]

Surgeons would be unlikely to perform for BMI 30 or less. Between 30-35 would be a pretty hard sell without comorbidities. You could find a surgeon who would do it for 35-40 without comorbidities.

It would be extraordinarily expensive. I hesitate to write this but at that point it would be easier to gain the weight to qualify for 40 and then lose it again and have your surgery. Unless you just don't like money.

How much would it cost cash?

 

[Lem0nz]

I honestly have no idea. Probably 30k at the minimum. Maybe more than 50.

 

[HighPriest]

Surgeons would be unlikely to perform for BMI 30 or less. Between 30-35 would be a pretty hard sell without comorbidities. You could find a surgeon who would do it for 35-40 without comorbidities.

It would be extraordinarily expensive. I hesitate to write this but at that point it would be easier to gain the weight to qualify for 40 and then lose it again and have your surgery. Unless you just don't like money.

Not…that…anyone would ever do such a thing….

 

[droliver]

Cash price here for a gastric sleeve done as an outpatient procedure (by some very skilled surgeons) is just under $10,000. They do many patients in the 220-240 lb range (bmi 30-35 range) for HTN, high A1C, high cholesterol, sleep apnea.

 

[LucidSplash]

Cash price here for a gastric sleeve done as an outpatient procedure (by some very skilled surgeons) is just under $10,000. They do many patients in the 220-240 lb range (bmi 30-35 range) for HTN, high A1C, high cholesterol, sleep apnea.

Interesting. Just curious: Is that an ASC or in a hospital? Does that include anesthesia/facility fee?

 

[droliver]

Interesting. Just curious: Is that an ASC or in a hospital? Does that include anesthesia/facility fee?

Includes all costs at an ASC attached to the hospital.

 

[droliver]

I honestly have no idea. Probably 30k at the minimum. Maybe more than 50.

Lol.

You need to look at an EOB sometime if you want to see what things actually get paid for. Sleeves are fast and cheap to do and don't require special equipment or a robot. The GIA staple loads are probably the most expensive part of the whole case.

 

[Lem0nz]

Lol.

You need to look at an EOB sometime if you want to see what things actually get paid for. Sleeves are fast and cheap to do and don't require special equipment or a robot. The GIA staple loads are probably the most expensive part of the whole case.

Its not super relevant in my specialty. Cancer is a qualifying Medicaid/Medicare diagnosis and I practice in a place where the non-US citizen rate is essentially zero. Just never comes up that we have a truly uninsured or uninsurable patient. There's no reason to ever cash pay.