Cataract Surgery is a generic term like someone saying I’m going to go buy a car. As we all know cars vary in prices. The exact car one chooses like a Nissan leaf or a Tesla and the upgrades we select would determine the monthly payments. Likewise there are many factors that may influence the cost of cataract surgery. Lets examine some of the factors influencing the price of cataract surgery in Los Angeles today.
Broadly there are four factors, which will influence your out of pocket costs for La cataract surgery.
- Insurance or self pay cataract correction
- Type of lens implant surgery
- History of previous surgery like RK, PRK or LASIK
- Advanced technology like laser cataract removal
Lets explore cataract treatments with various options and there influence on Cataract removal performed in an ambulatory surgical center:
Insurance or Self-Pay:
Various insurances, especially after Obama care, have made different sets of rules for reimbursement towards cataract surgery. The first thing you have to check is if your insurance is an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) or PPO (Preferred Provider Organization). If you have an HMO and you want to go to a top cataract doctor is Los Angeles you will have to pay the cost out of your pocket. Kaiser is also a type of HMO. If you have a PPO you will have to explore to find out your copays, deductible and coinsurance. The deductible is the amount you will be paying for your exams and cataract surgery before your PPO reimburses the cataract doctor. While the copay is the amount you have to pay for various visits and surgeries. Co-insurance is your portion of the allowed amount toward cataract surgery.
Ambulatory surgery centers are more cost affective then a hospital setting. Eye surgery center of Beverly Hills provides amount due from you before undergoing cataract surgery.
If you are a self-pay patient you will avoid the headaches of copays and deductibles. If you have an FSA (Flexible Spending account) or Cafeteria Plan your administrator can pay for the surgery. If you have an FSA or Health Savings Account you can use your pre-tax money to cover the cost of cataract correction and lens implant surgery.
If you do not have up-front cash to invest in cataract treatment you can apply for a payment plan. Care Credit & Wells Fargo offers no interest 6, 18, and 24 month’s plans. Wells Fargo even offers a 36-month equal installment payment plan. This allows you to afford the top cataract surgeon in Los Angeles.
Type of lens implant surgery:
Monofocal lenses, which have been around for the last fifty years, are the cheapest. Foldable Monofocals are a step up. Then as you get into Toric lenses for cataract surgery the cost increases. The premium lifestyle lenses or PI (presbyopic implants) require the most financial investment.
History of previous surgery:
People who have had previous RK or Lasik require extra calculations to generate the power of the new implant. New technology like ORA (verifeye) increases the accuracy of the implant power. A ORA (verifeye) device is used on the table to measure the correct power for lens implant required to give the best vision. It is especially helpful if a multifocal IRL is being considered.
Advanced technology:
Surgery centers in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills charge a per-procedure fee when using laser cataract removal. Currently Catalys, Lensx and Lensr all charge per procedure fees besides the cost required to cover the laser itself.
As you can see the final cost of Cataract surgery would depends on various combinations. At Khanna Vision Institute our endeavor is to allow you to have the top cataract surgeon work on your eyes at an ambulatory surgery center in Beverly Hills yet make it affordable in low monthly payments.
