My dad had bladder cancer surgery (no insurance). We are waiting for the bill. How much should we expect?

hugs to your Dad I hope he has a speedy recovery

the total bill could roughly be $ 30,000- $40,000 depending on what they actually did re: the surgery
if they made a new bladder out of his intestines – and are going to do chemo ? add on another $18,000

In the future, you should negotiate a price with the surgeon and hospital before being admitted as a patient. They will stick you with the highest possible bill otherwise..

You may wish to consider having future treatments performed overseas if cost becomes unacceptable in America. Singapore, India, and China have excellent medical facilities and can perform the exact same procedures for a fraction of the cost as in the US.

America has the worst health system in the developed world. Every other developed country (France, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, etc) has free universal health care for all of its citizens. Only America doesn’t.

I am very sympathetic to your situation. No one should have to choose between financial disaster and trying to stay alive.

Link to Physicians for a National Health Program.

I am sorry to hear about your father. It will be very expensive 40,000 pending what was done.
I hope he beats it. Went through this with m father in law.

others estimated about $40,000 which is about where I would put it but you should know that you probably won’t get just one bill. He’ll probably get one fromt he surgeon, the anesthesiaologist, a general "surgical" bill for supplies and stuff and then theres a seperate bill for hospital stay and labs. This should accumulate to the total. Since this will be 100% out of pocket I would ask for an itemised bill. you wouldn’t beleive what hopsitals will charge for. Sometimes its for medication or services that weren’t actually used.
After a hospital stay I got billed for 2 lunches on the same day, they accidentally brought a second tray while I was already eating and I turned it away. A call to the billing department easily cleared it up. I have insurance but I wasn’t about to make them pay for food I never touched.
I hope your dads recovery goes well

Whatever the estimates are, the hospital will usually negotiate a 35% discount for self pay and help him with a payment plan. They knew in advance your dad didn’t have insurance and the hospital will help out with the bill.
Bsherman, you don’t happen to live in a different country than america, do you? If you do, you don’t know what you’re talking about everytime you insult our healthcare system. If you live in this country, shame on you. You put your own country down every chance you get. I for one am very glad I’m able to take advantage of our wonderful doctors and the knowledge they bring with them.

.I had a total hysterectomy due to uterine cancer,(no insurance) and my bill was $56,000 but the hospital gave us a 50% discount for paying in one lump sum. Hospitals don’t charge interest and will take payments for as long as it takes to pay off the bill but you might be better off negotiating a lower price and then getting a loan from your bank to pay it off.

I would expect probably like $20,000-$40,000
Hope your dad recovers soon

Mopar is probably right, something in the region of $40,000….but look on the bright side, bladder cancer treatments are close to 100% effective, so Dad will live plenty long enough to pay the bill eventually.

He did quit smoking already, right?

I have ovarian cancer and I had a hysterectomy. The bill for just the surgery was 35,000. That did not include the hospital stay or drugs. We only have gotten the one bill so far, but I am expecting the total cost to be around 40,000. It sucks to be sick and then realize you have a huge bill to deal with afterwards. But you are not charged interest and you can pay a little every month. I told them I could pay $100 a month and they were okay with that. If you can pay a huge lump sum, they will often offer you a discount. Good Luck!