laproscopic gall bladder removal costs?

I just got a statement for my dads surgery and medicare was billed $187,566 for gall bladder surgery and that was for the surgery ONLY. Even with complications this seems overly inflated especially since that doesn't include the doctor or anesthesiologist which were paid separately. No wonder medicare is going bankrupt.

try getting on the apple juice diet for a month or so and it breaks down the stones....couple of bucks for apple juice and no doctor bill. amazing...check it out

I had my gallbladder removed last month and before my insurance it would have cost me almost $13,000. My insurance covered all but $1,500.

$39,634 bill from the hospital today. Consisting of an Emergency Room visit, Cat Scan, Ultrasound, bloodwork, meds, 3 total nights in the hospital and gall bladder removal surgery. Still waiting to see if I'll receive a separate bill from the surgeon. The hospital already introduced me to a case worker that will work with me to find programs to assist with payment of the bill ... the rest we'll have to see how much and at what terms.

anonymous wrote:

Guest wrote:

in India,the best surgery will cost around 30,000 rs or roughly 600$ in best hospital and with super deluxe private ward

well that's great... Next time I'm in India I'll make sure I have my gallbladder removed.

I believe that you misunderstand. There are companies that arrange surgery vacations to India with all of the costs included in one package. From what I have read, it's much less expensive and they treat you like royalty. It may be the only way that people without insurance can afford surgery. Our government should be ashamed that American citizens are left with few other options.

I would suggest that if you have insurance you contact your insurance provider to see what is covered and what is not covered. My insurance, after a $400 deductable is 80/20. They pay 80 and I pay 20 (whether it is emergency or not). I was also told I will not pay over 2000.00 for my surgery. After the 2000.00 mark they pay 100%. So if the surgery is over $10,000, I will only pay $2000 (plus my defuctable of $400). I havent had the surgery yet, but this is what my insurance provider told me. Everyones insurance is different:)

I had my gallbladder removed, in the hospital for 4 hours cost 20,000, leaves me to pay $919.  Is this medicare fraud?

How were you able to negotiate price?

Hi, had laproscopic gall bladder removal in Olympia Wa, in Dec 2011. Drove myself to the hospital ER, had an ultrasound, had the surgery, and drove myself home at 6 PM that same evening. Hospital billed my insurance $25,000+ for services. In addition, $2000+ for surgeon, $1400 Anaesthesiologist, + the ER staff that welcomed me!  Of course, insurance refused to pay $12000 of it. I never got an itemized bill - that would be good to see..... completely baffles me how on earth I could have racked up that kind of expenses.

 

thanks a lot. this information is quite very helpfull.

YES! I am an American who moved to Canada a few years ago. It took about a year to go from complaining to my doctor to having the surgery... But along the way I had "free" doctor/specialist/surgical consults, x-rays, and ultrasound to figure out the problem. The surgery was "free" as well. I quote the word free, because I do have to pay $56 a month (I think it went up slightly though, my wife deals with that one) for health coverage, which is standard in British Columbia for everyone that's not low-income.



The staff was great... Everyone was happy and cheerful... They had comfortable recliners for everyone to sit in while waiting to be hooked up to IVs... I was able to walk into the operating room sober and climb up on the table without being carted in all drugged up on a stretcher like some sort of lab specimen...



I am so loving Canada!

Guest wrote:

TE wrote:

Last week my brother had to go emergency surgery to have his gall bladder removed. Unfortuneately he is uninsured. Which leaves him with the problem of paying for. He is in the process of negotiating payment with the hospital, but is lacking some key information. For instance, what does an insurance company normally pay a hospital for this procedure? What's the average cost across the country?, etc.

I have to believe this information is available somewhere - anyone have any links to likely resources?

I m sorry but I need o ask you how much your brother paid ? I don't have any kind of Health Insurance either :O(
Thank you

you gotta love Canada !

I'm living in the Philippines and my wife is having her surgery done at a very nice, new hospital.  Estimated cost is about $2,500 including two days in the hospital.    

I had a couple of gall bladder attacks in August of 2012; as it is common, I thought it was indigestion at first. In September, during vacations in Colombia, South America, (where the medical training still comes from long lines of scholars, and whose doctors specialize and train in Europe), I had an ultrasound done to find out that I had stones and needed non-urgent surgery down the line.

After returning to the US, I watched my diet for a while and scheduled a trip down there to have the surgery done at the SOMER (Sociedad Medica de Rionegro) hospital.

One week after the surgery I was back in the US and back at work.

The treatment was many times better than any in the states, had meetings with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, staff, was given top treatment, warm and kind attention by everyone, a follow-up checkup by the surgeon and the removal of my stitches a week after surgery before flying back.

They filled-out my FMLA forms before I flew there and filled-out my return to work authorization before I came back.

The costs were:

Full abdominal ultrasound plus complete blood work, about $90

Surgeon + anesthesiologist + hospital (outpatient, although I had to stay for about 4 or 5 hours until I was no longer dizzy and was able to walk unaided), about $900

That's it!, no charges for checkups even if I went a couple of times for them to look at the incisions again to be sure they were of before flying.

I also took a flight with a discount airline which cost me $350.

First-world care and medical treatment, in an upcoming country for a fraction of the cost. (and spent a week in the tropics)

 

My wife and I also had our LASIK done there in September, under much more sterile and strict conditions compared to the US (where patients are left with their street clothes and shoes!!), and cost us $750 total for both eyes for each of us. (Microkeratome techniques were invented in Colombia, by the way)