Had a hysterectomy without insurance
hi everyone, I just had a laparoscopic hysterectomy and I learned so much from reading this sub that helped me prepare, so thank you! I’m uninsured and couldn't find many resources about my situation, so I wanted to offer my experience in case it would be helpful to anyone in my shoes.
TLDR: try to get your procedure done by a fellowship trained surgeon who can operate out of a privately owned surgical center—the care is usually better and the cost is a fraction of what you’d pay at a hospital.
Choosing a provider was really overwhelming because I wasn’t limited by an insurance network and didn’t require referrals. I ended up just googling minimally invasive gynecological surgeons and landed on a page listing fellowship trained gynecological surgeons in my state. If at all possible, I would recommend looking for someone who is fellowship trained for your surgery, because most OBGYNs will do hysterectomies but don’t have the same level of surgical training as other surgeons. fellowship trained surgeons have dedicated several years to learning gynecological surgery techniques and are highly qualified.
Next, I tried to get a sense of what I would pay out of pocket to be treated by each surgeon. This was incredibly time consuming and expensive because hospitals won’t give you an estimate until you've established care and made a surgical plan. I ended up having new patient visits with two different surgeons who operated out of hospital ORs, only to find that the estimates from the hospitals were extremely out of reach. most hospitals have online price estimators, but I didn’t find them to be very accurate. I also applied for a hospital’s financial aid and was denied because my income was too high. The surgeon’s fee is minuscule compared to the hospital’s facility fee.
finally, I found an amazing surgeon with his own practice who operates out of both a hospital and a surgical center. The surgical center fee was about half that of the hospital estimates. The surgeon, Dr. Fogelson at NWEPS, was also one of the most experienced, skilled and sought after pelvic surgeons in the US. I cried when I read the NWEPS website because they were the first people I thought I could afford to be treated by, and were also the very best providers.
before finding NWEPS, I was planning to pay for part of hospital bill using money from my Roth IRA. you can dip into retirement accounts penalty-free for qualifying medical expenses that cost more than a certain percentage of your income. it’s really not ideal, but it’s less expensive than taking out a loan.
of course there are also hospital payment plans, and some will offer discounts for self pay and/or a prepay discount. Definitely try applying for hospital financial aid before your procedure.
Hope that helps someone who’s uninsured know where to start!
thank you to everyone who’s shared on this sub, it’s a great resource and I learned so much from all of you!
Edit: As an aside, I would highly recommend getting your surgery done by an endometriosis specialist. I had no clue I had endo, but my surgeon found that my diaphragm was covered in it and was able to remove it. He said he was shocked to find so much and he asked if I had chronic pain in my right shoulder, which I did! i always thought it was purely muscular. it’s not uncommon to have both fibroids and endo, so its great if you can find someone who’s very experienced with both.