Your health and well-being matter, and sometimes, maintaining them requires surgery. The expense of surgery might not fit with your budget, so let’s explore some ways to fund the necessary procedure and your rehabilitation from surgery.
Save Money By Shopping Around for a Surgeon
This does not mean driving across the border for out-of-the-U.S. services! You can find an affordable, experienced surgeon in the U.S. by checking the American Medical Association website. Today, more than 38,600 surgeons work in the United States. That leaves you with a lot of options!
Look for a surgeon with lots of experience in the specific surgery you need. Also, phone each surgeon in your area to find out their rates and at which hospitals they maintain privileges. Check if they accept your insurance, too.
Check Your Insurance Coverage
Most insurance covers hospital stays. The government set requirements for what coverage an employer-provided health insurance policy must include. Those purchased by the self-employed through the healthcare marketplace also provide this minimum level of coverage.
Medicare covers hospital stays but you may need a supplemental plan to cover the surgery. It depends on whether the surgery stems directly from an accident, such as if someone falls and breaks their hip. The ER treatment includes surgery to reset the hip. Medicare likely covers that but might not cover hip replacement surgery if you only chose the free component of Medicare.
Medical Loans
Perhaps you want to have surgery that insurance doesn’t cover. In 2019, nearly 11.36 million plastic surgery procedures occurred the world over, according to Forbes. Your medical insurance might not pay for the rhinoplasty you want, but you could take out a medical loan.
These loans offer lower interest rates, which can make them easier to pay back for some individuals. Some lenders use less stringent qualification criteria for these loans, making them an option for those with fair or bad credit.
One downside of these loans exists: they require you to immediately enter repayment. That can cause an issue for a person who cannot work due to surgery. If you need recuperation time before needing to make payments, consider other options.
Medical Credit Cards
Obtaining a medical credit card enables you to separate your medical expenses from other costs. These sometimes offer lower interest rates and you can use them for any type of medical expense. That means if you want dermatology treatments, whether medical, cosmetic, surgical, or dermatopathology, you can put them on a credit card.
Unlike a medical loan, which offers a one-time loan, the medical credit card remains an open line of credit. You can use it for any type of medical expense, from back surgery to Botox treatments. Once you pay down the balance, you have that credit free again for another surgery.
Crowdfunding
Maybe you don’t want to become the person who creates a GoFundMe, but crowdfunding can help you quickly obtain the funds for necessary surgery. Your health matters so avoid this option if you need surgery fast. It takes a few months, sometimes a year to fund a major surgery this way.
Investigate Non-Profits that Fund Surgeries
Perhaps your child needs cleft palate surgery. There’s a non-profit that handles those procedures. Maybe your doctor wants to try an experimental procedure, but your insurance won’t cover it. Ask the local hospitals about medical charities in the area. Most states have at least a handful of non-profits that donate surgeries – surgical locations, doctors, support staff, etc.
Your surgery might require multiple funding options. Try combining the best options for you, for example, using a medical credit card and insurance, or a non-profit for the surgery and a medical loan to cover rehabilitation treatment. Get started on your research today to maintain your health.