Sydney Weight Loss Surgery Cost & Financing

What are the costs involved in undergoing weight loss surgery?

Initial consultation

The consultation fee to see Dr Kuzinkovas is $200. However, with a GP referral you will be eligible for a Medicare rebate of approximately $75. Our administration team will be more than happy to process this rebate for you electronically on the same day.

Surgery and follow up care

The out of pocket expense for surgery with Dr Kuzinkovas is a clinical management fee. This means that it includes your surgery costs, as well as 3 Dietitian appointments, all of your follow up care for 2 years and a post-operative care package. Our administration team will provide you with a quote once you have been consented for surgery.

Anaesthetist

Advanced Surgicare has a close working relationship with Prime Anaesthetics. They will provide a quote for the anaesthetist’s fees once you have been consented for surgery. These fees are partially rebated by Medicare.

Hospital

Patients who have private health insurance, and whose policy includes Bariatric surgery will not have an out of pocket expense for their hospital admission, as these are covered by their health fund. However, some health funds will charge an excess.

Patients who are self-funded will have an out of pocket expense for their hospital admission. The hospital will provide a quote for their fees once they have been consented for surgery.

If you do not currently have private health insurance but wish to take up a policy, a 12 month waiting period will apply before you will be eligible to use your health insurance.

We advise you to contact a health fund to enquire about further details. When contacting a private health insurance company, it is useful to know which item numbers to quote. The common item numbers for weight loss surgery at Advanced Surgicare are:

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery – 31572
Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve Surgery – 31575
Laparoscopic Banding Surgery – 31569

Other costs

You will be required to follow a very low calorie diet (VLCD) for 2 weeks prior to your surgery. You will need to pay for these meal replacements, and they are generally available at a pharmacy.

There may also be additional costs involved for pathology or other pre-operative tests, depending on your health fund.

Why is there always an out of pocket expense involved in weight loss surgery?

Unfortunately, the full costs involved in providing high quality medical care for weight loss surgery are not adequately covered by Medicare. The Australian Medical Association has stated that “the indexation of Medicare rebates has not kept pace with the rising costs of providing care, pushing more of the health care cost onto doctors and their patients” (2013)₁. As weight loss surgery involves a high level of expertise and skill from a multi-disciplinary team in order to achieve long-term positive outcomes, there are greater out of pocket expenses.

The following graph illustrates how the medical expenses involved in weight loss surgery compare to the Medicare rebates offered:

Can I access my Superannuation to help fund my surgery in the private hospital?

It is possible to apply for early release of your Superannuation on compassionate grounds to help fund your surgery in the private hospital. Our administration team will provide you with the necessary documents to facilitate this process once you have signed our Super Declaration form and have been consented for surgery.

We advise you to do your own research into the process, and you can find out more details about this here.

Payment Plan Options

Mac Credit

At Advanced Surgicare, we recommend patients manage the cost of bariatric surgery by financing through Mac Credit. Mac Credit is specifically designed for clients having medical and cosmetic treatments.

Payment plans up to $70,000
No stress – the whole process is managed privately by our Consultants
Up to 7 year terms
Flexible options – any additional repayments or rebates from Medicare/Private Health can be added back on to the payment plan at no extra charge
Fast efficient approvals, simply apply online

Mac Credit Application – Click Here To Apply

Credit Representative 372477 is authorised under Australian Credit licence 389087

Terms & Conditions:

Speak to MAC CREDIT for a formal quote based on your circumstances and for the full terms and conditions.
A full credit and financial assessment would need to be completed prior to acceptance of any offer or product.