# Total thyroidectomy cost? Will my insurance cover it?



## Anneliese

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease after months of trying to be seen for the swollen lymph nodes in my neck. The doctor did an MRI to look at my lymph nodes, found a tumor on my thyroid, referred me to a head and neck oncologist who did an ultrasound, an FNA, and lab tests and that's when he discovered that I have Hashimoto's disease. The tumor is benign but it, along with the rest of my thyroid, is pressing on my trachea. I have trouble swallowing and even breathing is getting tough (plus it's hard to swallow my prescription pills and it's important that I keep taking those). My next appointment wasn't going to be until January but my doctor said to call him if anything changes/worsens. He got me in yesterday and did another ultrasound and said that my thyroid needs to come out. The surgery is scheduled for November 7th. Upon getting home yesterday, my dad mentioned that we might need to switch my insurance to a more comprehensive plan before then or find some other way to pay for it. No matter what we do, it will be expensive. I am disabled and I'm having trouble getting a job but I'm still on my dad's insurance until May 2017.

My questions are:


What is the average cost for a total thyroidectomy in the USA, plus anesthesia costs, hospital stay, and all other fees involved?
Does anyone have experience with Tricare Standard and thyroid removal? How much will Tricare Standard cover? My dad is retired military so I'm still on Tricare but when I turned 21 I had to go from Prime to Young Adult, then the premiums skyrocketed so I had to go from Young Adult to Standard (the bare minimum). I was born with a lot of health issues (my mom had pregnancy complications) so I'm in and out of the doctor and on a lot of meds and it's a hassle just to get in to see a doctor now that I have Tricare Standard, so I'm worried that it'll barely cover surgery costs.
Is there any sort of financial aid for people who can't afford surgery?

I'm more anxious about putting my family in debt than I am about the actual surgery at this point. I live near Omaha, Nebraska and that's where all my doctors are (and where I'm getting the surgery) and they have very good medical systems there. The person doing the surgery is a head and neck oncological surgeon and does a lot of thyroidectomies so he knows his way around the neck. I'm in good hands, but not in a good financial situation.

Thank you in advance for your help.


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## joplin1975

I believe my surgery was in the neighborhood of $20k. I think the bills were about $23,000, but that was six years ago, so I can't be certain.

I don't know anything about Tricare, sorry. Most hospitals have a payment plan system or will work with people with low incomes, but you should contact the hospital ASAP to get that going.


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## Octavia

For starters, call the insurance company and find out from them what they'll pay for and what your responsibility is. Often, your deductible (you pay) is a set amount, such as $1,000. Then there may be a co-pay on top of that, such as a percentage of the total cost. But every insurance company and plan is different, so you need to make a phone call to find out what your coverage is. Then, as joplin mentioned, call the hospital and talk about payment (or charity) options.

Question for future consideration: if you were born with health issues, have you considered always having a better health plan? Then again, maybe your current plan is better than you think. Generally, the lower-cost health plans are best for young, healthy people with no pre-existing conditions. Just something to consider.

If your dad needs to switch plans, when can he do that? January? If it's through an employer, he may have to make that decision very soon. If the plan changes in January, you are probably safe waiting until the new year for the surgery. That said, if you've already had several medical issues this year, you should check to see if you've already met your 2016 out of pocket maximum. If you have, it'll be best to get the surgery done on your scheduled November date.


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## Sabrina

I don't know what the total was for mine (it was in August). The ultrasound and the biopsies (separate visits) were maybe around $1,200 together? Then the consultation with the surgeon, a presurgical physical (combined maybe another $600). My hospital visit - surgery, anesthesia, one overnight, may have been $20,000-$30,000. I received all of the bills separately for everything so I would have to put everything together and add it.

I do have a high deductible but I did flex spending and of course I exceeded it this year.


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## MieMieMie

I have Tricare Reserve Select (which is the same as Standard) in the the west I region so it's through United Healthcare and I'm only paying $25 out of pocket. My surgery cost $33k and anesthesia was 2,500


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## tai.loong

Hi Anneliese my cousin was operated last year with his thyroid nodules and I think his insurance helped lessen the cost. Here's the site of the clinic where we went http://thyroidheadnecksurgery.com it's in Mount Elizabeth.


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