If you have decided that you want to have your tubes untied to have another child or to alleviate subsequent tubal ligation syndrome, then tubal reversal financing becomes one of your main considerations. Since tubal reversals cost thousands and tens of thousands of dollars, most women cannot afford the costs out of pocket.
This means that most women will look for some other way to get the money to pay for the doctor’s fees and all other associated costs, such as the anesthesiologist and surgery center. While having the full amount in one’s bank account would be the best scenario, it usually doesn’t happen that way. There are roughly eight ways to determine the amount of tubal reversal costs.
First is the good old saving for a rainy day. Just start putting the extra money you have each month into a savings account. I would go so far as to suggest a savings account just for the purpose of saving for this procedure. If you mix it with your regular savings account, you may “accidentally” spend on whatever comes up. If you don’t have extra money or think you don’t, then it’s time to investigate the various methods of budget control and cutting that abound on the web. Do you really need cable TV or that extra latte every day?
The following is a version of the first where you will end up saving to get the full amount. In this version, you go out and get a job. If necessary, you get a second job. Then put that money away in your savings account until you have the full amount saved.
If you use a top-tier surgeon like Dr. Gary S. Berger of the Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center, you may be able to set up a payment plan with the surgeon’s office. Their system starts with an initial payment of $250 to open the account. After that, you send payments of any amount you want or can as often as you like. Your surgeon may have a different system set up. If you can, do it weekly. That takes the money out of his hands and puts it in a special account where he can’t get his hands on it for winter snow tires or whatever. Think of it as a special baby back-up plan.
Some women use their family income tax refund to pay for tubal reversal surgery. Depending on your personal situation, you may have to wait a few years if you’re just relying on a tax refund. That’s why some will use their tax refund to supplement their savings plan.
Many people will think of the insurance that pays for the procedure as their first thought when seeking tubal reversal financing. Some insurance companies will cover the surgery as part of their plan. However, if someone at your insurance company says they will, put it in writing. It is possible that one person in the company says “Yes” and then the next person says “No”. There are too many cases of women who go in for surgery thinking it was covered and then find out that insurance would pay nothing. Get it in writing!
You will find that most insurance companies will not cover it as it is considered an elective surgery. However, there are some possible ways, and I stress possible, to avoid this. If the reason you want tubal reversal is to relieve symptoms of post-tubal ligation syndrome, then having your primary care doctor tell you that your tubal repair is necessary might be one way to get insurance. pay for it, maybe even 100%. The other way you may be reimbursed for part of the cost is if there is a cap on your out-of-pocket medical expenses where the insurance company collects the amount over the cap. You will have to consult your own policy to see this.
Without health insurance to pay for your tubal ligation reversal, you may be lucky enough to have a health flexible spending account at your or your husband’s job. Some of these will allow you to withdraw the full amount up front. You’ll just have to see what the details are during your enrollment season. Since the amount you pay into your flexible spending account is taken out of your paycheck before you see it, chances are you won’t even notice it.
Another such source of your work would be taking out a 401(k) or IRA to pay the full cost. You’ll end up paying a penalty and that money won’t contribute to your retirement, so you just have to decide what’s most important to you. If it’s for ptls relief, I know what I’d pick.
Lastly, you are using your credit card in some way. Your doctor may accept your credit card. If you don’t, you may be able to get a cash advance to pay for the surgery. However, be very aware of the high interest rate you may have to pay to pay off this advance. Be sure to pay more than the minimum monthly payments on your credit card or you will pay a long time for the surgery. It may also be possible to use your credit card to “purchase” a cashier’s check to pay for your tubal reversal.
Hopefully, one of the ideas above will be the right tubal reversal financing for you. Decide which one best suits your lifestyle and situation. Only you know what is right for you.
Copyright 2008, Sandra Wilson