Plastic Surgery Payment Ideas

Plastic surgery is considered to be a personal choice by patients who are looking for ways to improve their looks. It is not considered to be a medical necessity which would be paid for by a person’s health insurance plan, unless there was a health problem involved or if it was needed for reconstruction in the case of accidents or disease. When a person decides to improve their looks surgically, they must figure out how to pay for their procedures.

Elective operations are not cheap and can total up to large dollar amounts. Most procedures will have several components in the cost factor, including surgeon’s fees, hospital operating room costs, price of the anesthesiologist and loss of income during the recovery period. When collecting data on the price tags of certain procedures, it’s wise to include all of these in the budget plan.

The surgeon’s fees will include the pre-surgery consultations, the actual operation and routine aftercare. The nursing staff who assists the doctor will be paid out of his or fee for services, as well. The hospital or clinic where the procedure will be performed will send a bill for use of the surgical suites as well as for medical supplies which are utilized. If an overnight stay or two is required, these will cost an additional amount.

The anesthesiologist will usually show up on the day of the operation and stand by administering the anesthetic. Anesthetics may be of the general type, which completely sedate the patient or involve numbing the region and giving them a tranquilizer, as well. The time taken off from work will depend on the procedure’s average recovery time as well as the patient’s immune response. The healthier the person initially, the better chance of their immune system kicking in quickly.

Some ways to obtain cash to pay for these operations include:

- Savings account: If a person already has a substantial savings account balance, they may choose to tap into it. They should be sure to leave enough of a balance to cover emergency expenses, retirement and education costs. If a savings balance is too low to tap, the prospective patient may want to add to it first.

- Second job: Even a full time worker can get a second part time job temporarily if they have a goal in mind. They could babysit on weekends; do some freelance work if they have art, computer tech or writing skills. Setting up a “plastic surgery” account and immediately depositing the secondary cash as it comes in will be a rewarding way to see accumulation of moolah.

- Extreme budget: If a person sets a reachable financial goal, they can probably achieve it with a bit of extreme budgeting. This requires a backbone and creativity, but isn’t a tiny waistline or nose worth it? Clip coupons, buy loss-leaders at the grocery store, shop at Goodwill and the 99 Cent store, eat down the pantry and fridge, sell unwanted goods at garage sales or on E-bay, weatherproof the house. It’s amazing how fast the cash can fill the piggy bank with these tactics.

- Last resort is financing through banks: Some plastic surgeons offer a financial arrangement with a bank in order for their patients to pay for these procedures. Similar to a car loan, interest is charged each month along with principal payments. This will cost more money in the long run, though, so try it only as a last resort.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, to pay for your plastic surgery.