IMPLANT SURGERY: THE BOTTOM LINE
Implant surgery is not cheap. Hospital charges and surgeon’s fees vary a great deal throughout the country. In 1986, the semirigid prosthesis cost about $1,000; the inflatables about twice that; and the semi-inflatables about $3,000—surgery, hospital and doctors’ fees not included. Manufacturers do offer some warranty protection, but thaf s for the prosthesis alone, not the surgeon or the hospital fees.
You have to figure in the cost of the hospital stay, medications, time spent in the operating room, surgeon’s fees, anesthesiologist’s fees and the markup the hospital charges on the prosthesis.
A man who has a semirigid prosthesis put in on an outpatient basis, with no complications, may end up with a bill under $5,000. On the other hand, a man who gets an inflatable prosthesis and stays in the hospital several days may find himself owing $10,000 or more.
Many patients are fortunate to have all or a large part of their health insurance cover the cost of the operation. Be sure to check with your insurance company first. In 1986, Medicare paid 80 percent of the cost of implant surgery, if the patient’s potency problem was caused by a physical condition (see chapter 7 for additional insurance tips).
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