How much does the surgery cost?

[Butterflygirl]

Hi Everyone,

I have private medical insurance but was wondering still how much out of pocket cost are involved?

[Rebecca]

Hi Butterflygirl

I had the sugery 8 weeks ago in Perth WA, and all up I have only been out of pocket about $1800.

[Nonny]

I was out of pocket $3400

[Rhiain]

I was $3400 for the surgery and $500 for the private health excess... Worth every cent!

[Princess]

hello

had my surgery monday 22nd june and glad i had private health insurance. including pre op appointments with pyscologist and dietician and surgery and excess about $3000, so very happy about that. worth every cent

[missmakeupgrrl]

I was out of pocket about 5 grand

I have private health insurance.

[Butterflygirl]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. From the difference in answers I guess it just depends where you are as well and the doctor you choose. I have consulted a doctor here now and surgery alone with out other costs such as dietitian, psychlologist, anaestethetist, comes to being out of pocket appox $6000, but this is a one off payment which does include all follow ups for fills ect and if there any need to op again due to complications. But at the end of the day its a small price to pay for my health and being able to do all the things I've dreamed of all my life....

[dominique]

My out of pocket is 5215,25 for the surgeon and 798 for the anaesthetist but like you it includes all the services from the operation + 12 months afterwards. Nothing more to pay for any services offered by the surgeon's office. Perhaps you're not getting such a bad deal afterwards.
Perhaps the others can elaborate on the ongoing costs they pay (if any)

Dom

[Rose24]

Hi There,

I was banded in at the beginning of May in Bendigo. My health insurance is around $600 and the total of my surgery was $4000. I had no out of pocket expenses for the dietician or psychologist or physio. I had to pay an extra $250 to the hospital on the day of admission and I think my pharmacy charges were around $60. I pay my surgeon $130 each visit but get $110 of that back pretty much straight away, it just goes back into my bank account or onto my credit card. So in total I have spent about $5000.

I hope this helps and good luck with it all.

[qui_xxx]

I was out of pocket $4000, and the anaestetist $60. The $4000 will cover all visist for the rest of my life (bulk billed to medicare for the visits, so no out of pocket costs), and the visits must be no longer than 6 months apart (if over 6 months, then I believe I would get a phone call from the clinic). Also, if something goes wrong down the track (band slipping, erosion, port replacement etc) then there will be no out of pocket expenses for any further surgery as long as I remain in private health insurance (except maybe for the anaesteist). The dietitian in on top, and as I have not been yet, I am not sure how much out of pocket, I have to pay $75 per visit, but not sure yet how much I will get back on that.

[angella1969]

dare I say this?

I got my band for nothing, zilc not a penny have I spent. all funded by the taxpayer. Perhaps if you qualify you might too?

[megsyontour]

Angella how did you manage that?

can you tell me where i can go about finding out if i qualify?

Thanks

[angella1969]

lucky I guess!

I got bit by a dog, went to the doctor with the wound needing to be dressed and wound up with a referral to see Dr David Scott at LRH, all because my blood pressure on the day was a little bit high.

After two years on the waiting list I got picked. I had started to save for the operation, but as it was funded by medicare thought 'hell why not'. I will add when I had my first child though private health it cost over three thousand dollars.

I have sent one of my work mates in to see if he qualifies, its now a five year waiting list, with only ten per year selected. Of those ten you have to met a very strict criteria.

1/ never smoked
2/ obey the rules regarding exercise and lifestyle changes
3/ be prepared to drop everything at a moments notice to turn up to surgery on the day.

still its worth the effort of getting the referral and going to see the doc.

[madquincol]

Hey
I had HCF top Hospital
I had op 2 and bit weeks ago
It cost me @3200

[mazzles]

Good Morning!

I'm due to go in for surgery on the 1st of Feb (only 13 days away!!) I joined HBF a year ago, have the top hospital cover, and have only had to pay about $1500 out of pocket (that's a $1000 admin fee, and all the pre-op appoinments like dietician, ultrasounds, the consultation with the surgeon etc.) You get alot of the costs back from Medicare, and the anethsitist is fully covered by HBF which was a bonus. And in the $1500 thats included all the optifast for the pre-op diet. I still have to pay for all my post op appointments, but I'm cool with that!! Considering how much my life will change, I would have paid triple that for the op! Roll on the 1st of Feb

[soozington]

It is interesting how it has cost such varied amounts.

I have Medibank Private top cover. I had a $200 excess to pay to the hospital, plus $60 pharmacy bill. I was $2210 out of pocket for the surgeon, about $100 (I can't exactly remember) for the anaethetist, and a little under $100 for each of two barium swallows (one pre-op, and one post-op to check the band's placement). The dietician costs me $35 out of pocket for each visit - so far there were two pre-op visits, and 4 or 5 post-op visits. I have stopped going because I have run out of money! I also had to pay a full consult fee to the surgeon when I was first referred to him, but I can't remember how much it was (about $165 I think, but I got some of that back from Medicare). Other expenses have included the Optifast for pre-op, and a personal trainer twice a week, which is a hugely expensive luxury but one that is making a significant difference to my life, so I think it worth it. Follow-up visits to the surgeon for fills are medicare only, with no out-of-pocket cost.

I rang up Medibank Private for a whinge about how little of the doctor's bill they covered. She said I should take that up with the surgeon because he doesn't pariticiapte in Gap Cover insurance - which is apparently at no cost to the surgeon, but great benefit to the patient. I have not taken this up with my surgeon, because there probably is no point. However, if money is going to be an issue for potential bandits, and they live in an area where there are choices of surgeons, it may be worth shopping around a bit to see if any of the reputable lap-band surgeons do participate in the Gap Cover insurance scheme. Just a thought..... (but not if it is a trade-off against surgical competence......)

Cheers

Suze

[melissa_186]

i also have hbf cover and my doctor is 100% covered by hbf so my out of pocket for the surgery is only $900 plus $100 excess for my night in hospital and all my appointments to see the surgeon are bulk billed as i am on a pension.

i have found tho that it varies so much from doc to doc, some docs have 3000 and up out of pocket, i think u need to look around and investigate surgeons, their costs and what is covered by ur insurance, if you have any.

my partner is on the public wait list, and has been for a couple of yrs now, he had an appt, was told to loose 10% of his body weight and give up smoking and come back again, he has done neither of that and has opted to go for private like me, but using me as the test dummy to go first lol.

[GOfattyGO]

You are all making me extremely jealous....... I don't have private health and will be having the surgery in a matter of months. I can't afford to join private health and wait the 12 months due to health issues so my out of pockets are $15,500. Even at that price it is well worth it for me.

[Stripey23]

All up including initial visit, psychologist, physician (pre-op tests), operation and anaesthetist I paid - out of pocket (after Medicare has paid some and after some from my health fund, NIB)....$4950. Plus remember that at tax time all "gap" costs over $1500 are deductable, may be about $1000 back, can hardly wait for that! I think that my doc DOES charge for fills which the gap is about $75 for - not sure as havent had one yet.

[Mason]

You know its hard to even put a cost on yes, we have all paid different amounts for what we have done, but in the end no matter what it has cost us, the benefits that we take from this its priceless - we have given ourselves a second chance of a healthy life and you can't put a price on that. So you are right "gofattygo" it will be worth it for you.