cost of prophylactic mastectomy

I don't know the cost either, but I'll be interested in further posts. But just wanted to share my experience as a self-pay person when I went for a consult at a major institution. They can change charges afterwards. I paid by check for the consult, then a month later got an additional bill for 15% more.


Are package deals possible if you pre-pay? A while ago, I was interested in a different elective surgery (not breast). From the online support forum, it sounded like some hospitals would also give you an additional discount if you *pre-paid* the cost. Maybe some places can give you a package deal if you pre-pay?? I'm not sure what they do if you have complications.



Self-pay patients usually pay a lot more. I just had an unrelated surgery in July, and for one item, they billed $40K to insurance, and insurance paid $4.5K. It sounds like they were charging private patients 10 times more than insurance patients for this item.

I'm part of an HMO, but had my bilateral at a contracted hospital almost two years ago.  The hospital sent me a bill for around $27,000 for surgery and overnight hospital costs and $1600 for pathology.  This did not include surgeon, anesthesia, pre and post appointments and testing, ON-Q pain pump, medications, camisoles, or reconstruction costs (I had delayed reconstruction).  I would say that $100,000 would be a close estimate.

Good luck to you. 

lini

My guess would be, yes.  I have a friend that does mastectomies and referrals to PS for reconstructions.  He says that he has many younger patients that forego reconstructions even with insurance because they can't afford the 20% deductibles which can be as high as $40,000.  Also, remember that $27,000 was only hospital fees.  I don't know how much the breast and plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and a second hospital stay would cost for sure.  Not to mention expander, implant, saline, etc. etc.   I was just estimating.

Hi, Im out here in Newport Beach, CA. I had a left brest mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.  My hospital bill for 2 nights was 42,000 and my insurance paid all but  my 200.00.  My breast surgeron, the one who removed my breast was 1,400.00 the anathesia was seperate, the labs and other charges were all paid but my 15% copay.  I used a high end plastic reconstructive surgeon and ended up with amazing results and beautiful breasts.  He used an implant and then he agumented the othe breast.  For a good job out here in CA its about 25,000 to the plastic surgeon alone.  My insurance paid all but 10,000 of the bill for his services and I am appealing that right now.  Im responding to this because I have not been able to find any one who has used a high end plastic surgeon in CA to do their breast reconstruction to compair prices. There were other surgeon's who could do breast reconstruction, but why bother.  Most of the surgeon's pictures that I saw, looked worse than not having a breast.  My breast has feeling and the plastic surgeon is an amazing magician.  Without him, I would not have come through this as a hapygirl.

I don't want to rock the boat on any of this but I had PBM with SGAP reconstruction last May - and I had LOTS of complications - but am fine now.  However, that being said, my bills were a little over $300,000!  I paid my $1000 deductible and that was it (plus meds, travel, hotel, meals, etc 'cause I had to go out of state).  Because I chose SGAP recon, it takes 2 PS and it took 11.5 hours for the initial surgery - and they each charged $43,000 - then there was 3 day hospital stay.  Stage II was not so bad - had it done outpatient (and back to hotel) - took about 3.5 hours and - was around $50,000.  The $300,000 pricetag above included just about everything - but I had to go back in hospital for a week (wound dehisce) and was on a wound vac all summer - that, alone, was $4000 a month plus meds, plus three times a week doc visits.  But - this is all unusual-just my luck I had all the complications!  But it was soooo worth everything I went through - no more mammos, no more biopsies wondering if this was the time BC would strike (extensive family BC history).  I have reduced my risks from about 98% to about 2-5% and as my DH says "If you get BC after all this, then that is what God meant you to have" - I have done all I can and I just have to remain vigilant since there is still a tiny risk - but the HUGE risk I had is gone.

Best of luck as you go forward!  Hugs, Cindie

AuntieC - I went to Drs. Kline and Craigie in Mt. Pleasant, SC - right across the bridge from Charleston.  I want to reiterate that none of my problems were the doc's fault - my weird body just didn't like sutures, etc.  And, I had NO problems with the flaps and new boobs - all my problems were in my butt cheeks where they harvested the "new boobs" from.  But I would still do it all again - no questions asked.  I now don't spend my days wondering if this was the day, the week, the month, the year that BC got me - strong family history - my mom died 3 years ago from her 2nd bout of BC and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty - cancer of any kind is an awful death and involved terrible pain and suffering.  And I watched my sister - who had her first lumps removed at 18 years old - by the time she was 39, she was on her 3rd bout of BC (and at that time, she had 7 more lumps to remove) - she finally had a BM with implant recon (all that was available at that time) - science has improved so much since that time and how awesome is it that they can use butt cheeks, ab fat, etc to build us new boobs - we are living in lucky times for sure.  I also had more than my fair share of lumps, biopsies, etc - all the docs said it wasn't "if" I got BC, it was "when" - so that is all I needed to know. 

I hate to hear that you had problems, too - some of us fly right through the surgeries and some of us have problems every step of the way (me) but thank the Lord for good insurance - we would have had to sell our house to pay for all this!

Hugs, Cindie

hi there i am new here and need some support and questions answered if anyone would care to help me out.  i am 31 and had my first lumpectomy done at 29 with a hysterectomy soon following.  i have had 2 other biopsy's with a stong family history of all aunts and grandmothers with cancer.  my dr has recommended genetic testing of brach 1 and 2 genes, or prophylactic mastect. .  i do not have sisters and mother has two breast mamograms that have come back bad but refuses to go back ( her theory is what she doesn't know won't hurt her) so my aunts were diagnosed in their 30's and now i am trying to make an educated decision between genetic test, continued painful biopsies and prophylactic mastectomy.  please help

thanks

heather 

thank you for the response sheila.  how do i start a new thread??? sorry i am new at this.

thank you so much and sorry to bother you

take care

heather 

My name is Heather, I'm BRCA+ and just had my prof. bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction last month.  The original question was about the cost.  I just received my bill and the total was about $47,000.  This includes pretty much everything. . . . I'm just floored.  We have a $5,600 deductible and then co-pay 50% of everything after that.  Never would I have chosen this health insurance plan had I known I would be going through all of this! Of course, that's just how life works.  We are in the process of adopting our 3rd baby from Korea, not now. . .   All the money we had saved is now GONE!  It is SO frustrating, we will be paying $25,000 out of pocket.  W

We are in OR, though I would add that.