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Cost of RAI or TT Surgery
I am 30 year old female with Graves disease dxd Dec 2007. Endo is giving me the option to have RAI or Surgery, because I want to have children in the next year or 2. My question is how much do these procedures cost? I have health insurance, but I have a $5,000 deductible that has to be met first, and then anything above that is paid by my insurance at 100%. I am trying to figure out what my out of pocket expense would be for RAI vs surgery. Does anyone have any idea? I just want to have an idea, so I don't freak out if I get a bill for $5,000. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
I had total thyroidectomy two weeks ago. Stayed one night - 23 hours & 45 mintues to be exact! I'm estimating between two surgeons, surgery center, anestesiologist, and pathology work that the total cost submitted to my insurance will be $17,000. I have to pay $4,000 of that because of my insurance. I don't have experience with radioactive iodine and because my cancer was so small and contained in my thyoid I'm opting to not do RAI.
Don';t worry about cost. You pay them, when you can pay them!!! My RAI bill was over $25,000 and my hospital bill for the surgery was about that too. I racked up over $50,000 in bills last summer for my tt for thyriod cancer. I don't know exactly what you're doing. Luckily, I have an HMO and I paid $166 - my copay plus a private room charge. Good luck.
Don';t worry about cost. You pay them, when you can pay them!!! My RAI bill was over $25,000 and my hospital bill for the surgery was about that too. I racked up over $50,000 in bills last summer for my tt for thyriod cancer. I don't know exactly what you're doing. Luckily, I have an HMO and I paid $166 - my copay plus a private room charge. Good luck.
My RAI cost about a thousand dollars including the Endo appointment. But the results will not be known for about a year. Then I may get to do it again.
They had to do an uptake scan first, and I don't know what that cost. Probably another $500-$1,000, but I'm not sure.
I understand your concern for the cost, but there are many other factors to look at as well.
Unless you are worried about cancer, you may want to consider partial ablation. Having half a working gland is better than having no gland, sometimes.
There are advantages an draw-backs to all three choices. Research them carefully before deciding on a course of treatment.
They had to do an uptake scan first, and I don't know what that cost. Probably another $500-$1,000, but I'm not sure.
I understand your concern for the cost, but there are many other factors to look at as well.
Unless you are worried about cancer, you may want to consider partial ablation. Having half a working gland is better than having no gland, sometimes.
There are advantages an draw-backs to all three choices. Research them carefully before deciding on a course of treatment.
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