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When looking into weight loss surgery, there are a few things you need to know before having the procedure done. You will need to know what kind of surgery you want, if it is safe for you, as well as the price. But how much does weight loss surgery cost if you don’t have insurance?
Without insurance, weight loss surgery costs between $9,500-$30,000. When paid for in full or without insurance coverage, discounts or accommodations can be applied. Other factors that affect the cost of weight loss surgery include doctor appointments, surgery complications, and after-surgery care.
There are many factors that go into the cost of weight loss surgery. To help you learn more about the cost of weight loss surgery, keep reading.
Average Cost of Weight Loss Surgery Without Insurance
The cost of bariatric surgery is affected by a few things, including the amount of money you are willing to pay, which specific operation you are having done, where your surgery is located, the hospital or clinic you go to, after-surgery care, the severity of your situation, and the doctor that performs the surgery.
Weight loss surgeries can cost anywhere from $9,500 to $30,000.
Additionally, the amount of money you invest in your health before and after the surgery should be something kept in mind. The surgery will be expensive on its own, but there are other costs that likely accompany this decision. Some of these costs may include hospital stay time, anesthesia, doctor visits (like consultations and follow-ups), surgery supplies used, any additional care to attend to surgery complications, accommodations to the home and living space during recovery, and even purchasing smaller clothing.
Types of Weight Loss Surgeries and What They Cost Without Insurance
There are multiple types of bariatric surgeries that can be performed. They each alter a different area of the stomach and affect the body differently. This may seem pretty straightforward, but the different kinds of surgeries cost different amounts of money.
We will take a quick look at each of the main types of weight loss surgery as well as some of the key things that you should keep in mind about each one. We will also include the average costs that you can expect to pay for each.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
During this type of weight loss surgery, a doctor removes roughly 80% of the patient’s stomach. This serves two functions in weight loss. The first is that with a stomach with a smaller capacity, the patient can expect to eat less and to become full faster. The second benefit is that when a large portion of the stomach is removed, much of the area that produces the hormone known to cause hunger is also removed.
The national average cost for sleeve gastrectomy is $14,500 to $15,000. The main factor that affects the cost of this surgery is the amount of time that is spent recovering in the hospital or facility. Before and after getting this surgery, patients have to stay in the hospital for 2 to 3 days, which will cost about $3,000 or $4,000 per day.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)
A roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a separation of the upper and lower portion of the stomach. This separation will restrict the amount of food that the patient’s body can intake and will severely hinder their body’s ability to absorb calories. This surgery is more expensive than a sleeve gastrectomy, as the national average price is $23,000.
This procedure is more intensive, so it has a longer recovery period and higher medical bills. With the changes made to their stomach, recipients will also have to make major adjustments to their diet. This will include needing prescribed vitamin supplements for the rest of their life under the direction of a licensed dietitian. Due to these higher costs as well as the permanent costs linked with the surgery, this is probably not the best weight loss surgery option for you if you don’t have health insurance.
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB)
During this surgery, the surgeon will insert a band around the stomach that creates a pouch and reduces the amount of food you can intake. After the band is inserted, it will be filled with fluid that clamps the band down around your stomach.
This surgery is among the cheaper options that you can find, with the average cost in the United States being around $15,000. However, you should be aware of the hidden costs of this surgery prior to getting it. While it might seem like a cheap option on the surface, this is one of the more expensive weight loss surgeries you can get when you look at the long-term cost. While it is not a highly invasive surgery, the band that is put into your body needs to be maintained regularly.
After you get this type of weight loss surgery, you will have to meet with a doctor at least once every year, if not several times a year. During these visits, your stomach cavity will be scanned and the amount of fluid in the band will be raised or lowered.
Another cause for concern for you if you are paying for the surgery out-of-pocket is that the band is essentially a large balloon being put around your stomach. If the band bursts, you will need to undergo an expensive and painful surgery to remove the old band and put in a new one. For these reasons, you should consider other types of weight loss surgery if you are planning on paying for the surgery without insurance.
There are other types of weight loss surgery, but most of them are relatively new, so they are more expensive than the surgeries listed above. Consult with your doctor to determine which weight loss surgery will be best for you.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Weight Loss Surgery
There are several factors that affect the total cost of a weight loss surgery. Some of these influential factors include but are not limited to anesthesia, length of surgery and complications, medical supplies used, medical personnel, time spent in the hospital, and which care facility you use.
The current health condition of the person receiving the surgery will impact the cost as well. Some patients will require more precise care than others, and there are always some cases that are more severe. Those that weigh more than 400 pounds can expect their body to react more strongly to weight loss surgery than those that weigh less.
There are different types of weight loss surgeries and these vary in price. The current BMI of the individual is an important factor in which type of weight loss surgery they are eligible for. If you plan on receiving surgery and have a variety of health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, you should expect higher hospital costs and a longer recovery time.
When determining how much weight loss surgery will cost if you don’t have health insurance, you should also consider the after-care costs. You will have to go to several follow-up appointments for 6 to 12 months after the surgery. You will need to check in with your doctor on a regular basis,
You might also want to consider the surgeries that you will likely have to get after you lose weight. After losing a significant amount of weight, many weight loss surgery recipients have skin-tightening procedures done or have excess skin removal surgery. Skin-removal surgery costs about $5,000 to $15,000 if you don’t have health insurance, and skin-tightening procedures cost about $100 to $3,000 without insurance.
You also will have to meet with a nutritionist and other professionals prior to and after getting weight loss surgery. In fact, these nutritionists and other medical specialists will be highly influential in how well your weight loss surgery works.
They will help you establish your diet going into the surgery to help your body prepare for the stress it will be under. They will also help you avoid complications during and after the surgery. They will also help you plan a liquids-only diet immediately after the surgery, as well as determine when you can begin to start incorporating solid foods back into your diet.
If the weight loss surgery that you receive removes portions of your stomach, they will monitor your vitamin and nutrient levels to ensure that you are not becoming malnourished. Finally, they can help you establish healthy eating habits to ensure that you lose and keep off the weight that you are hoping to lose as a result of your weight loss surgery. While these professionals can be a big help to you along your personal health journey, each visit will cost about $150 to $200 per appointment,
Where you get your weight loss surgery done will also affect the cost of the surgery. It will be more expensive for you to have weight loss surgery in big cities like New York City, New York or Los Angeles, California than it will be to have weight loss surgeries in small cities like Boulder, Colorado or Savannah, Georgia.
How to Make Weight Loss Surgery Cheaper Without Insurance
After looking at the different costs that are part of weight loss surgery, you might be wondering if there is any way you can make the surgery more affordable. Here are some ways you can do so.
Pay in Installments
Your first option is to pay for the surgery in installments. Contact your local hospital or clinic to see if they allow patients to pay for surgeries in installments or offer loan programs.
You might also be able to negotiate the cost of your weight loss surgery with the facility where you will have the surgery at. When you try to negotiate the cost, make sure you tell them that you don’t have health insurance.
Shop Around
Another way to save money is to look at a variety of locations and find one that meets your budget. For example, if you live in a city, find out how much various hospitals and medical facilities charge for the type of weight loss surgery that you plan on getting. While having weight loss surgery in a large city will be expensive, you might be able to make a short trip to a less busy medical that is willing to offer their patients a discount on weight loss surgery so they can get more business.
Ask for Financial Aid
Some charities and religious organizations can help you pay for weight loss surgery if you don’t have health insurance. However, they will likely only do so if your life is being negatively affected by your weight and you have tried to lose weight in the past. If you want to go this route, contact local charities and religious organizations and tell them about your situation.
Medical Tourism
You can also engage in medical tourism, which involves traveling to another country to have your weight loss surgery performed. While this could save you a lot of money, it is riskier than other options. If you plan on doing this, make sure that you find a reputable doctor with a history of successful weight loss procedures. Keep in mind that if complications occur, especially after you get back home, you will have to pay a lot of money to have the issues resolved.
Overall, weight loss surgery is extremely expensive, especially if you don’t have health insurance, There are things that you can do to reduce the cost, but you will likely have to save for a long time in order to save enough money to pay for this type of surgery. However, if weight loss surgery will improve your quality of life and allow you to get a job with health insurance benefits, it might be worth it to get the surgery. Ultimately, it is up to you which weight loss surgery you get, although you should ask the hospital how much it will cost before the surgery is performed o you can get a precise estimate.
No Insurance?
When it comes to your healthcare, most people think that their only options are to pay for expensive Health Insurance or try out your luck being uninsured.
The great news is that you have a third option; You can join a Health Share plan that is affordable and meets your needs! Health Sharing programs are one of the most effective and affordable alternatives to Health Insurance.
If you don’t know what a Health Share is, you can start here to learn how it works and why it’s a great alternative to health insurance. If you are looking for affordable healthcare, I highly recommend checking out my article about the Best Health Share Plans.
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