When you can’t move your shoulder without pain due to a rotator cuff tear, osteoarthritis, or some other joint condition, even a minimally-invasive surgery could bring relief and restore function. Unfortunately, the rising cost of healthcare and health insurance may be standing in your way. But there’s an alternative payment option you may not have considered. Take a look at how cash payment shoulder surgery in Houston could save both your shoulder and your bank account.
Avoiding the Hassle of Insurance
Have you been asking yourself, “Can I pay cash for my shoulder surgery?” The answer is a resounding yes if you avail yourself of a facility that offers that option. But why should you go this route instead of using insurance? For starters, think about the endless administrative hassles that health insurance usage involves, including:
- High deductibles that result in less financial relief than you’d like.
- Confusing copay rules that leave you wondering how much you must pay for this and that associated medical service.
- Preauthorization requirements that can delay your access to care and pose frustrating restrictions by covering only certain types of procedures.
Cash payment options let you skip all this confusion, annoyance, stress, and wasted time.
Cost Savings
Health insurance doesn’t lighten the financial load for major medical procedures as much as you might assume. The larger hospitals that take insurance also tend to charge relatively high, inflexible rates, partly to compensate for their own high medical equipment and general overhead expenses. By contrast, outpatient centers that offer cash payment options can provide reduced fees as well as negotiated rates.
Cash payment plans won’t just make that shoulder surgery easier to afford. They can also help you get that procedure, and many other procedures, more quickly and easily. When you don’t have to use your insurance for major surgeries, you can scale back your coverage to reduce your premiums, which in turn frees up more resources for your surgery.
Price Transparency
If you’ve ever tried to make head or tail of the countless medical codes and rates for different covered services, you know that the insurance industry has a serious price transparency problem. When you use a cash payment system that gives you fixed per-procedure rates, you know exactly what you’re buying and exactly how much you’re paying. This empowers you to make the most informed medical choices without worrying about surprise bills and extra fees.
Flexibility in Choosing Providers
Many insurance providers force you to choose your shoulder surgeon from a limited list of in-network practitioners. Ideally, you want access to the widest possible pool of specialists to ensure the finest, most personalized care possible. Cash payment plans open up a whole world of independent surgeons and ambulatory surgery centers, putting control over your health back in your hands.
Payment Options
Different surgery centers may offer different types of cash payment options. for your shoulder procedure. Here at NW Surgery, our cash options include direct pay and financing. Our direct pay program lets you pay a single competitive price up front, while our financing option provides loans that can be repaid on an easy installment schedule.
The direct pay option makes sense if you’re trying to reduce your overall cost. The financing option makes sense if you care more about distributing your expenses over time.
Considerations for Cash Payment
Choosing a cash payment plan for shoulder surgery involves more than just the bottom-line cost. You’ll need to evaluate your financial resources carefully to determine whether you can comfortably pay upfront. You also want to choose a facility that refuses to skimp on skill, expertise, and personalized service.
Shop around carefully for your cash payment shoulder surgery. Get multiple price quotes, ask providers about their range of direct payment and/or financing options, and do your homework to ensure that you’re getting top-quality treatment.
Explore Your Options
Cash payment shoulder surgery in Houston could save you time, effort, and money while helping you get better care on a more flexible schedule. Give serious thought to this potential solution for managing the financial challenges of shoulder surgery. To learn more or connect with an orthopedic specialist, contact us today.
