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Old 10-10-2016, 03:11 PM
 
Location: St. Cloud
285 posts, read 261,388 times
Reputation: 345

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I'm planning on surgery in the future, when I pay off a college, and it's a good $3-6k. Insurance doesn't cover it and I know DAMN well and I know I'll be having issues with paying for this fully out of pocket. I might have to take out a loan or get a medical credit card. But I'm not getting a credit card without knowing the full effect of it. So besides it working like a credit card in general, is there anything else I should know about it?

And I won't be doing this until next year anyway, but I know this is a costly surgery and the sooner I save up and get information the better. In my eyes though.
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Old 10-10-2016, 04:02 PM
 
Location: OH>IL>CO>CT
7,485 posts, read 13,518,013 times
Reputation: 11832
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisTK View Post
I'm planning on surgery in the future, when I pay off a college, and it's a good $3-6k. Insurance doesn't cover it and I know DAMN well and I know I'll be having issues with paying for this fully out of pocket. I might have to take out a loan or get a medical credit card. But I'm not getting a credit card without knowing the full effect of it. So besides it working like a credit card in general, is there anything else I should know about it?

And I won't be doing this until next year anyway, but I know this is a costly surgery and the sooner I save up and get information the better. In my eyes though.
The webpage here explains the issues related to "medical" credit cards. In general these cards are frowned on, as opposed to working out a payment plan directly with the doctors and hospitals.

Health care credit cards rise to fill insurance gap
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Old 10-11-2016, 06:00 AM
 
1,585 posts, read 1,921,450 times
Reputation: 4958
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisTK View Post
I'm planning on surgery in the future, when I pay off a college, and it's a good $3-6k. Insurance doesn't cover it and I know DAMN well and I know I'll be having issues with paying for this fully out of pocket. I might have to take out a loan or get a medical credit card. But I'm not getting a credit card without knowing the full effect of it. So besides it working like a credit card in general, is there anything else I should know about it?

And I won't be doing this until next year anyway, but I know this is a costly surgery and the sooner I save up and get information the better. In my eyes though.
If you have been and are putting off surgery, why not just save up 6k, to pay for the procedure in cash, heck you might even be able to negotiate an upfront discount.

Either save up the 6k, then pay off college, or pay off college then save the 6k. You will feel a heck of alot better going into surgery knowing it's paid for, than coming out knowing you have a loan.
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Old 10-11-2016, 05:51 PM
 
Location: St. Cloud
285 posts, read 261,388 times
Reputation: 345
Quote:
Originally Posted by chb119 View Post
If you have been and are putting off surgery, why not just save up 6k, to pay for the procedure in cash, heck you might even be able to negotiate an upfront discount.

Either save up the 6k, then pay off college, or pay off college then save the 6k. You will feel a heck of alot better going into surgery knowing it's paid for, than coming out knowing you have a loan.
I urge you to reread my entire question as this sentence is kinda telling me you didn't.
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Old 10-16-2016, 05:37 PM
 
1,193 posts, read 1,022,540 times
Reputation: 427
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisTK View Post
I'm planning on surgery in the future, when I pay off a college, and it's a good $3-6k. Insurance doesn't cover it and I know DAMN well and I know I'll be having issues with paying for this fully out of pocket. I might have to take out a loan or get a medical credit card. But I'm not getting a credit card without knowing the full effect of it. So besides it working like a credit card in general, is there anything else I should know about it?

And I won't be doing this until next year anyway, but I know this is a costly surgery and the sooner I save up and get information the better. In my eyes though.


Loan would make more sense to me instead of a credit card.
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Old 10-16-2016, 05:59 PM
 
Location: Yakima yes, an apartment!
8,340 posts, read 6,744,839 times
Reputation: 15129
If it's truly "Elective" then yes, insurance wouldn't pay for it.

In my case, it being a hip replacement, the insurance covers it after I pay $2,250. Considering it's $35-$50K that's a DEAL and for the rest of the year ALL medicine, visits and x-rays are covered in full.

But I have to find a temp recovery place for 2 weeks and that'll cost me a bundle out of pocket....
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Old 10-16-2016, 08:40 PM
 
Location: St. Cloud
285 posts, read 261,388 times
Reputation: 345
Yeah for me it is an elective/cosmetic/optional surgery in MN. It's GRS and many companies, and currently many states, can simply chose not to cover it. With my current plan it clearly states that it will not cover anything regarding GRS and that includes the specific surgeries I need and my meds. Despite it being an enormous benefit to me, especially with my underlying depression and anxiety issues that have practically disappeared as soon as I started hormones.

Either way, I need some way to pay for it and it costs a lot of money I simply don't make. Monthly, yes. After rent I'd have enough for a $200mo bill, as I live somewhere cheap. But at once would be insane.

And when I say monthly I mean AFTER I pay off the university, which is when I'm actually going to start looking into loan and finance options. Now I'm just dabbling in it.
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Old 10-18-2016, 03:24 PM
 
928 posts, read 3,435,359 times
Reputation: 986
I picked up a medical credit card last year when dealing with a pet injury. There are two reason's I carry it.
  1. I get deferred interest promotional periods on individual purchases. e.g. I can pay one $800 bill over 2 years and another $450 bill over 6 months without accuring any interest for those amounts.
  2. When large bills hit, I am not putting a large balance on my primary credit card.
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Old 10-20-2016, 01:25 PM
 
Location: St. Cloud
285 posts, read 261,388 times
Reputation: 345
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWayISeeThings View Post
I picked up a medical credit card last year when dealing with a pet injury. There are two reason's I carry it.
  1. I get deferred interest promotional periods on individual purchases. e.g. I can pay one $800 bill over 2 years and another $450 bill over 6 months without accuring any interest for those amounts.
  2. When large bills hit, I am not putting a large balance on my primary credit card.
I read about the deferred interest promotional period, but how long does that even last? I plan on getting the card then getting it paid off sometime within the following 2-3 years, if possible. And I say years cause I honestly don't know how long this could take to pay off, with new bills being added and debts being dropped like crazy currently.

And when everything is settled, and ideally that will now be 6-8 months, I will THEN begin to look around for means of payment. Not now cause now would be just stupidity on my part.
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Old 10-23-2016, 07:01 AM
 
10,746 posts, read 25,925,307 times
Reputation: 16024
3-6k seems awfully cheap for a surgical procedure...are you sure you were quoted correctly??

I agree with the others who suggested you save the money and then have the surgery. Why are you so gung-ho about increasing your debt???
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