How much did it cost??????

I am getting sleeved in sept at ashford

Surgeon gap = $2300
Guy who puts you to sleep and keeps you alive = $500
(who can spell anaethetist ?)
health fund excess for hospital stay= $250
pre surgery visits = $120
blood test = bulk billed
Barium swallow= not known
Dietician= not known
all else covered by health fund

I have rung so many times just to be sure

Budgeting around $3500 all up I hope

I am getting sleeved in sept at ashford

Surgeon gap = $2300
Guy who puts you to sleep and keeps you alive = $500
(who can spell anaethetist ?)
health fund excess for hospital stay= $250
pre surgery visits = $120
blood test = bulk billed
Barium swallow= not known
Dietician= not known
all else covered by health fund

I have rung so many times just to be sure

Budgeting around $3500 all up I hope

I am getting sleeved by Dr Layani on the Goldcoast and it is costing $5990 out of pocket for dr layani and $1250 for the aneasthitist. So $7240 in total. Can't believe how little some people are paying

LUCKY YOU littlemisscee! :) I wish i had searched a little further a field cos i probably would have done the same thing as your friend.
Wish her all the best when she has it done.
I believe your surgeon is the cheapest!!

meggles - yes, I thought it was expensive.. Till I read about the cost of others surgeries and am thinking my surgeon is possibly the cheapest around! Funny you say about travelling to Bunbury, my best friend has not long joined a PHI so she can have the surgery as well, and after doing a bit of surgeon research, she's going to be travelling to Bunbury to get it done as well (she lives in Perth).

Gee cant believe the difference people are paying for surgery that is gonna change their lives forever, i think the government need to have a look at this procedure over the next 5years...how can one doctor charge so much and another hardly anything at all???



For me im with HCF, and after the first 12 months i paid approx $1060 for the private, then my doctors gap of $2000, and i have just recieved my blood work bill for $70, then i had my PHI excess of $450. So i think all up so far its been about $3500, which i think is pretty reasonable considering others gaps etc. I did try to enquiry about the aneasthesia gap but havent received anything yet and im hoping that wont be the case. I am yet to see if i get anything back from medicare but im sure i can with the gap, and im keeping all my familys out of pocket expenses for 2012 tax....

WOW you have it good in Bunbury!!
My out of pocket with the doctor was $3000 i have to pay some of the anaesthetist bill which should be about 500 i think...
The rest is covered... follow up apptmts with dietician i believe $70 of which i should be able to claim some back from NIB.
It would have been worthwhile travelling to Bunbury for the procedure!! we would have saved over $1000. Oh well can't change it now.
Good for any new sleevers to know though.

Surgeons fee was $1350 - got back approx $500from Medicare
Paid $137 for my anesthetist appt - got back $130.10 from Medicare
Dietician was approx $80 I think. Claimed some back from phi - can't remember how much though.
Each surgeon appt was about $55 I think, claimed approx half back from Medicare.
Everything else has been covered by phi.

Hi,

I am having my op in 2 weeks(YES!!)So far I have paid $250NZ to the dietician for pre-op visit and post-op visit.She reminded me twice before visit to bring my cheque book.Was a bit taken back at that and the cost.But was helpful to talk to her.

I have to pay $12,500 to private Hospital up front.My quote from surgeon was $18,000.Our medical insurance will pay a lump sum of $7500 after op so I will be waiting for that :)

I know it seems alot but my god it will be worth it!The Optifast is expensive in NZ but I have bought it off the internet from an online pharmacy alot cheaper than retail.

Surgeon's fee for me is $3500... of which I will get some back, I dunno how much yet

I paid only the gap for my Anesthetist - and it was amazingly low at $435

Then have to pay a $400 excess for my PHI at hte hospital

$25 a day for a few things like foxtel/wifi at hospital (you have to pay it even if you don't use it)

First appt for dietician is $100, $60 afterwards. PHI may cover some of this if you have extras cover (I don't).

AND... um... my first appt with surgeon was $140, got $70 back from Medicare.

I'm booked in for the 19/9/11 and the total costs = $19753 which I'm paying with my superannuation. Yeesh!

I received the same letter (in March) as the one mentioned in this post:
http://www.gastricsleevesupport.com/t6376-nib-private-insurance-will-not-fund-the-lap-band-or-the-vsg-any-more

"I was chatting to a lady last night at a party who was considering the sleeve. Last month she received a letter from NIB PHI that said that they would 'honor commitments to lap band or VSG surgery that was already booked in', but any one else, no more!"

Glad to hear they changed their policy back!

Hi,
I''ve just had a quote from Dr Talbot in kogarah;
$3900 out of pocket for the surgeon and $1800 for the anastheasia of which I'll get about $345 back from Medicare and Phi.
I'm with mbf and have a $250 excess as well but all the other hospital costs are covered.

Sleeve gastrectomy is #30518

Im getting sleeved in a week *OMG* and I'm under NIB. I've rang them several times and they confirm I'm covered.

I'm also wondering about the item numbers, I was given the same numbers for the band and the sleeve from my dr and I see u have 2 different numbers, can anyone else tell me about what numbers they were given for the sleeve plz?

I did read your infor about NIB, but I checked with them last Monday and they told me I was covered but I'm re ringing them mon with the 2 different numbers and see what they say

Fleastar1977 xxx

I'm getting done like in 3 weeks n covered by NIB, why did u think NIB no longer covers the sleeves?
Fleastar1977

I was out of pocket just over $7000. I joined a fund and did the 12 month wait. It would have been a lot more if I had not waited the 12 months.

Hi there,



I was sleeved 10 days ago in Bunbury, WA by Dr Werapitiya. The out of pocket cost for the Dr is $1350 (can claim some back from medicare) I havent heard about any fee from the anaethetist as yet. I am in the intermediate bracket with HBF in WA and so had $140 excess for the 3 nights in hospital. Every appointment with the dietician costs me $5o which I take to my health care fund for a rebate. Every follow-up appointment with the Dr costs me $50( which I claim medicare rebate on) which is no different to what my GP charges me so I see it as the same thing. So all up not too bad here in the west really, I think Drs in Perth charge more though.





Cheers
Jed

Emily wrote:

NIB are NOT not covering sleeves - my sister was done 3 days ago under NIB.

I had my sleeve done 4 weeks ago and was fully covered by NIB. I had no out of pocket expenses (still half expecting anaethetist bill though).

NIB are NOT not covering sleeves - my sister was done 3 days ago under NIB.

Hi there, Im getting sleeved by Dr Daoud in October at Brisbane Private. My costs are as follows:

Dietician - $350 (you get back half from medicare)
Dr Daoud's Out of pocket costs - $5500 (he sends it away to health fund and medicare so you just pay the out of pocket expense)
Anthesist - $1300 (you get $600 back)
Hospital Excess - $250

I have private health insurance, Im through MBF, just have basic hospital cover :)

Hi Weron,

My daughters were sleeved by Dr Durmush in March 2011. They both had private cover. They paid $6300 up front to Dr Durmush and $1000 up front to the anaethatist. They were then refunded approx $1700 in total from medicare and the health fund. They can now claim 20% back, over $2000, in their tax returns. If you dont have private cover it's about $18000.

I was sleeved by Dr Durmush in Feb 2010 and found him to be excellent. You will be in good hands if you choose to go ahead with the op.

Good Luck

Jayco

I was wondering how much people are paying THIS YEAR, if it's costing more - now NIB aren't covering Gastric sleeves. Let me give you my costs for January 2011 with Dr Craig Taylor of the Oclinic - the 5k covered everything including lifetime with the surgeon, the psych (two visits), the dietitican (8 visits). I complained about getting a bill for blood tests and they covered it for me. I paid a few bucks for take home digesic tablets, is all. I think uninsured it's $9,000 mostly inclusive? Not sure.

FYI I shopped around for the best surgeon, not the best price. OClinic surprised me - I liked the surgeon's history best of all, and was shocked how much better the "package" was than other less experienced sleeve surgeons. Life is like that sometimes.

The below is from Oclinic website
http://oclinic.com.au/cost.html#1 - the clinic does both sleeves and lapbands so it's jumbled in together (same package for both ops).
Gastric Band Program: $4950 all inclusive
Sleeve Gastrectomy Program: $4950 all inclusive

Whats included:

Surgeon's fee
Assistant surgeon's fee
Anaesthetist's fee
all medical reviews for check-ups (every month for gastric band, every 3 months for sleeve gastrectomy) until you reach your goal weight, then annually for life
all band adjustments including Huber needles and consumables
Free access for additional medical consultations at any time if problems arise.
2 x psychologist consultations (before surgery and again at 6 months)
8 x dietitian and nutritionist consultations
fortnightly psychologist-moderated support group access
full colour dietary handouts and brochures explaining everything you need to know including recipe tips
No out-of pocket costs if you ever need any corrective surgery for your gastric band/sleeve (provided you maintain your health insurance)

Provided you are covered by private health insurance, the all inclusive cost of either the gastric band or sleeve gastrectomy programs is $4950. (if you don't have private health insurance don't worry! We can still help you. click here for details about our uninsured patient program) Our fee covers all of the normal aspects of your surgery and aftercare, including surgery in a private hospital, your anaesthetist and assistant surgeon fees, and all clinic follow-up appointments, including 8 dietitian consultations, 2 psychology appointments, and unlimited consultations with your specialist surgeon and clinic physician (this includes all your band adjustments for life). You will also enjoy unlimited access to our support groups, which are conducted every fortnight by our psychologists.

There are no limits, expiry dates, or any hidden additional charges levied by us at any stage. You can feel safe that once you've paid your program fee you're completely covered. At OClinic we insist on transparency. Clear and simple.

As a further exclusive benefit to OClinic patients, provided you remain in your health fund, you will not have to pay if any corrective surgery is ever needed in the future. We stand by the quality of our surgery and confidently provide this guarantee.

The program fee must be paid in full before your surgery. Please note that you cannot claim a further rebate from your health fund or Medicare as these discounts have already been taken into account in our program fee. However, you may be eligible to claim a further rebate of $690 when you lodge your tax return as our program qualifies for the medical expenses safetynet. (click here for more details)


Are there any costs not covered by the program fee?


Whilst the program fee covers all the major costs associated with your weightloss procedure and your lifelong aftercare, there may be some other potential costs to be aware of, such as low calorie diet meal replacements, vitamins, health fund excess, costs relating to blood tests and other investigations (such as Xrays), pharmacy expenses, and other specialist consultations (for instance, sleep apnoea diagnosis and treatment). Also, in the event you have treatment performed by doctors not related to OClinic then this may attract a cost (for example if you decide to have a band adjustment whilst you are away on holiday).

Your initial consultation with Dr Taylor is $130 (this is the standard initial consultation fee to see a specialist- you will be able to get a Medicare rebate of $67 provided you have a GP referral).

click here for further details about the OCare total care program



Private Health Insurance- check that you’re covered

The hospital costs associated with gastric banding surgery are usually covered by most levels of private health insurance. Some of the more basic levels of cover such as extras-only cover may not include weightloss surgery. (NIB Health fund only covers gastric banding in its top-level cover). A 12-month waiting period usually applies if you have recently joined a health fund. Gastric banding is NOT considered cosmetic surgery. It has a Medicare item number and is recognised by all the major health funds. To find out if you are covered, contact your health fund and quote the following Medicare item number:

Gastric Banding:
item no. 30511
Sleeve Gastrectomy: item no. 30518

AHSA- Alliance Funds
(Teachers, Defence, Police, etc) http://www.ahsa.com.au (02) 9411 9100
HCF http://www.hcf.com.au 13 13 34
MBF http://www.mbf.com.au 13 11 37
Medibank Private http://www.medibank.com.au 13 23 31
NIB http://www.nib.com.au 13 14 63

and remember any out of pocket cost over $1500, you can claim back in your tax return.

trust me the accountant will see me fast this year :-)