One of the biggest road blocks to having Weight Loss Surgery is how to pay for it. People go to crazy lengths, such as taking out loans, borrowing from family, doing gofundme pages. Some people resort to flying to Mexico and having it done. Its about 10,000-20,000 cheaper there.
I know myself that is my worry. How will I pay for this. Due to how my insurance is, I have to be in the program six months, meet certain goals with appointments, and weight loss. Then all that documentation all gets sent into the insurance. At that time they decide if I have been approved or not. My documentation goes in after my visit in January. Which means my insurance restarts in January. Which means depending on how long it takes them to process the claims for my husband's doctors appointments, IV therapy, and his colonoscopy, I could have to pay anything for nothing to $3500.00.
That is a huge difference. I don't know about most people, but I certainly don't just have an extra $3500 laying around. Every dollar is carefully budgeted and earmarked for specific places. This much goes to rent, this much to the car and insurance... Every expense is carefully budgeted in, and the surprise factor of this is driving me nuts.
I don't want to do gofundme or other crowdfunding campaign... they take a large portion of the proceeds, and to be honest, I could never ask people for money for this.
A second job won't work, as I have a busy life being a mom and a wife, as well as trying to exercise.
I don't have a rich relative I can just ask for money from.
So I am kind of stuck at this point trying to figure out about an extra $4200. $3500 for my co-pay, and an extra $700 to purchase me some clothes to start off with as well as most the items on my wish list to help me succeed in surgery. Things like water bottles, an ice cube makers, an air fyer, a barbaric cook book, a fluffy bathrobe and matching socks. Not to mention the personal trainer that is recommended after weight loss surgery so you can learn how to exercise effectively and have accountability.
This is also not taking into account that many people have to have painful and costly skin removal surgery after they lose all this weight. This is often not paid for by insurance. I know something I want to do as soon as I am approved, is a breast reduction. I've wanted one since I was in fourth grade and standing in front of a mirror at the Fashion Bug unable to find an outfit I liked for Easter. It was solidified when at 18 my sister's then boyfriend told me "anything more than a mouth full you are risking a sprained tongue." Well I definitely have more than a mouth full. I could suffocate someone with just one of my boobs. ( I am looking at you Gerard Butler)
I know I sound like I am whining with the cost. While it is something I am trying to work out, I know I need do this surgery. I know it is expensive, but it will be worth it.
I've been wanting to write this blog for a while, surely I am not the only one struggling to think of ways to pay for the massive co-pays, and medicine/vitamins.
One suggestion would be to reduce monthly cost. We have canceled our Netflix and our Audible accounts. Instead we are using Overdrive to rent books on tape, and we found out that with Sprint we get a free Hulu membership. How do I watch "Orange is the New Black", "Fuller House" and the "Santa Clarita Diet" we watch them when we can over at my mom's house, or if one of my sister's comes over we watch it that way as well. But let's be honest, with two kids, work, and trying to get in our exercise, lazily watching television is not real high up on our to do list. I am a season and half behind on "Lucifer" and did Amy and Sheldon ever get married?
Another suggestion is to give up your coffee. I see this on pretty much every money saving blog, fundraising blog, etc. However this assumes that you are spending $5 daily on coffee. Which is something we don't do. Never have, never will. I don't smoke, and I rarely drink alcohol, so those aren't costing me anything. I don't really have a daily habit or vise that cost me money. So while this might work for others, for my husband and I this piece of advice is a mute point.
There are the obvious fundraising choices such as a Bake Sale, Spaghetti Dinner, or car wash. Which would work for an adoption fundraiser. These are great options. I just did a bake sale with my daughter's cheer gym, every thing was a dollar and we made around 300. Which is great. However I need something bigger.
What am I good at? Photography and graphic design. I have an Etsy page selling greeting cards and announcements. I also have a Facebook Page as well. I need to get better about posting on there.
There are a hundred different ways to work at home, but I have found most of the fruitful ones, there are no positions available at this time, and the other ones you are getting paid pennies an hour. I still continue to look into different opportunities with these. If I find something that I find works, and is more then a few cents an hour, I will be sure to post it.
Babysitting is a great option for those who can fit it in their schedule. For me personally it is not going to work as our schedules are pretty crazy. My husband works full time, I work part time to full time depending on the week. However I also have my daughter's schedule. She has in home therapy for her autism four mornings a week. I am required to be in the home for those hours. She also has two nights a week she goes to a second autism intervention program where I need to transport her to and from. She has cheer and Special Olympics. Both things I volunteer for. Which I feel is super important.
Dog walking- people in Wisconsin- or at least in Northeast Wisconsin tend to walk their own dogs. If they want a dog walker it is usually to Jonny or Suzie Teenager. But for those of you reading this who live in a bigger city, this may be a great option for you.
Direct Sales- This is a great option for someone who has the personality to really push sales. I personally do not. I have tried Avon and Thirty- One Gifts, and while I love both companies. I ended up spending more money then I made. In my market, both are pretty saturated. They say if you take your population of your area, figure out 10% and that is how many consultants can successfully be in your area. While they do keep track of the number of consultants, they do not limit the amount of consultants. Some direct sales companies do. So if you find a company you like be sure to ask that. I know people with Thirty-One Gifts pulling down 4-5 figures a month selling.
I have also tried a health and wellness company. I LOVE the product, it really helped me stabilize my blood sugars, and while I lost inches on it, the weight was not coming off. It was also pretty expensive $180 a month, which they will tell you to give up your daily vise and you can pay for that. but as I stated above, I don't have a daily vise to give up. People are also really skeptical about anything health and wellness related. The way you are trained to sell the product was post in Facebook groups. Which some groups do not allow, some people get down right nasty, some moderators get down right rude. All the consultants are selling to Facebook groups, so again it gets really competitive. And one of their tricks is to go to your fellow consultants Facebook, see what groups they are in, and then post in that group. So its kind of sneaky to me as well. Again I love the company, and its a growing one. I know people giving up their day jobs and only selling the products who are making solid 5 figures a month.
Loans- people borrow against their home, their 401k, or take out massive credit card debt. I think this is completely irresponsible and not something I am willing to do. While I have faith in my surgeon and his team, and I have complete and other faith in the process and that it is safer then gallbladder surgery-which I have already had- you just never know what is going to happen. There are some patients who can't not work afterward, there are some who are in debilitating pain the rest of their life. I can't take a chance and borrow additional money, when there is that chance. Especially the 401k because retirement is so very important. I also want to make sure my daughter and any future kids I may have, are set up for good education, and that we can enjoy retirement eventually. I personally do not like this option, however there are several people who do find this option appealing. Be sure to read the fine print and watch your interest rates. Especially on Unsecured loans.
Host a garage sale. These are great money makers if you have things people want. In my area a lot of people are looking for kids clothes, baby items, and antiques that they can buy cheap and flip. If you are like me and do not have a garage or yard to have a sale in. You can post it in Facebook Market Place. There are also several apps available like LetGO that you can sell your stuff on. It is also a great time to declutter before your surgery. You are starting out fresh, and the idea of a decluttered house, appeals to the neat freak in me. Imagine coming home to a clean and decluttered home, so you can just relax and recover. Sounds heavenly to me.
I am also creative. I love to paint and make mesh wreathes. If there is something you are good at try selling your goods. I believe I will be doing this so stay tuned for that update.
In any case, most people are going to need to pay something for their bariatric surgery, whether its the actual surgery, the co-pays, or just the after care from it. Vitamins are a life long commitment after surgery. With little to no regulations on insurance and what they are required to cover for surgery, creative ways to come up with money to help pay for surgery are important.