Surgery – What if I can’t afford it?

Person writing in a checkbook

 So I was hit in the face with an astronomical Estimate of Benefits from my insurance carrier after my June 30, 2014, surgery.  The breakdown was: surgery, anesthesiology, pathology, etc. was approximately $71,000! (Insert double-take here) After the insurance company applied their deductions and waivers, the remaining bill was $13,000.  The insurance paid for a little over $12,000 of that bill and my my out-of-pocket costs were $800.  Which I readily paid!  (It really is a depressing sign of the inflated costs of American healthcare)

BUT what happens if you need a robotic laparoscopic excision surgery for Endometriosis and you cannot afford the hefty bill?  It’s a question I’m concerned about given the fact that women with Endometriosis routinely require multiple excision surgeries.  What happens if my insurance denies the next one? Or my insurance plan changes? Or I suddenly become unemployed?

Continue reading