Price of CI

Well here in America we have capitalism and not universal health care......which is probaly the reason WHY implantation canidacy is so damn lenitent!
 
mld4ds said:
Does that mean you are going to retire your SCUBA? Not me...

I dont need CI since I only help hearies for their long term security jobs, such as ASL interpreters, relay service operators, creating new technologies (CI, shoot it), education teachers/staff, etc...

Good luck to be a Borg.

I will have plenty of good naps in my late age during my retirement period. No aspirins.

Wish you a good luck to hear new digital sounds.
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i will never retire going SCUBA :D always will go SCUBA nothing can stop me.. and yet.. i'm getting to have more fun things going on around.. this year is my first year going ATVing.. and love it.. and now its' my hobby.. but yet i'm still going SCUBA.. but there's some limits.. since i can only go up to 82 feet deep due to implant.. but 82 feet deep is worth it..


I personally isn't worry about the cost.. My insurance is paying.. however the left over isn't my worries also because I will be getting help from government.. (this is what i was told by human resource center) but they told me i have to pay $3,000 out of pocket for sure due to my income, however.. if my income changes in 5 years (increased income) they'll modify.. and i might have to pay back (which i believe it will happen after i graduate and get a job) also VR will help pay for future mappings and batteries to help me keep my job, etc..(they think it will help but i don't so.. i'm just taking advantage of that)

the reason i believe they're billing $111,000 because that's the accual cost for everything which they have high tech equiments.. its so sad.. but they're also willing to lose money willing to lose 80%.. this makes me wonder how they can afford to lose that much.


here in minnesota.. the health cost is HIGH.. that's the other thing.. my dad had a simple surgery only 1 inches cut.. and remove the blood clot in his neck.. and cost his insurance $165,000.. for doing simple surgery and surgery only last 2 hours and its 1 night stay at hosiptal. this is pathelic!
 
also i believe it varies state to state.. because ear, nose, throat surgeons in minnesota makes $350,000 a year average income.. and iowa is $150,000 a year average.. (i'm guessing the income, and its not real income since i don't know how to google for incomes) i think thats affects the CI cost too.
 
DeafSCUBA98 said:
but yet i'm still going SCUBA.. but there's some limits.. since i can only go up to 82 feet deep due to implant.. but 82 feet deep is worth it..
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CI's are waterproof??
 
tegumi said:
CI's are waterproof??
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Yep. The processor that transmits the electronic impulses for you to hear with a CI comes off. That must come off as in general electronic devices and water don't mix too well :D

The implant itself is snug as it can be in your head and that is well protected from the elements. However, like Scuba said, there is a depth limitation but not that bad as there is lots to still see in 80 feet or less.
 
here in minnesota.. the health cost is HIGH
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It's high everywhere!!!! Which is a good thing.....I mean that means that limits a lot of implantees to rich people and people with insurance (which is the same thing) ....good riddence...that's what Hearing Exchange and the CI-Aspies don't understand....that not everyone has the resources for implantation..... sometimes I think that the only reason why implantation is the NEW tReNdY thing is b/c it makes so much money for the companies....
 
It is very confusing to me how there is so much variety in the amount of coverage and cost for CIs.

I have a friend who got a CI recently. The friend has a very low income job and no insurance, but all the costs were covered.

My mom was very HOH (almost deaf without her HA). She had Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and Medicare. She had to pay for all her HA and batteries costs herself. Insurance covered nothing.

Insurance will pay for CI (permanent surgical change) but will not pay for HA (an "appliance" to improve hearing).

For vision, it is the opposite. Insurance will pay for glasses (an "appliance" to improve vision) but will not pay for laser surgery (permanent surgical change).

It seems very inconsistant.

:confused:
 
Reba said:
It is very confusing to me how there is so much variety in the amount of coverage and cost for CIs.

I have a friend who got a CI recently. The friend has a very low income job and no insurance, but all the costs were covered.

My mom was very HOH (almost deaf without her HA). She had Blue Cross, Blue Shield, and Medicare. She had to pay for all her HA and batteries costs herself. Insurance covered nothing.

Insurance will pay for CI (permanent surgical change) but will not pay for HA (an "appliance" to improve hearing).

For vision, it is the opposite. Insurance will pay for glasses (an "appliance" to improve vision) but will not pay for laser surgery (permanent surgical change).

It seems very inconsistant.

:confused:
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I'm with you on this. It is confusing and inconsistent. What floored me was the wide variations in the cost of the procedure between $50,000 to $110,000 which leads to me ask "What's the difference?" :dunno:
 
i agree..

what i was told. the MAYO clinic in rochester, MN the CI surgery cost are $65,000.. the place i took was at U of MN.. was told before surgery was performed is $100,000

both hosiptals are in MN.. and the odd thing is that MAYO is the top 5 best hosiptal in USA.

the reason i choose U of MN is because its closer.. (2 hour drive) instead of rochester, MN (3 and 1/2 hour drive) and the doctor at U of MN is somewhat more experienced with CI surgery. i have fears of going to less experienced surgeon in case some errors happened.
 
From what I heard (hubby was in the same NSL class as one of the norwegian mothers with CI deaf kids so she told him stuff), some norwegian women get their deaf child CI's.. easily, because they are able to get the doctor's medical attention lavished on the deaf children, rather than the kids with HA's or anything else.. I dont think some people are very happy with this priority either.
 
I remember you mentioning this, Liza.

Yes, it's outrageous how the CI companies are becoming fat cats because of the prices they imposed on their products thereby inflating the prices for health insurance.

Anyway, CI are free for anyone who's willing to wait for it. You can have it approved by private health companies if you want to get in the front of the line.

I also have noticed the disparity of attention lavished on children with HA and CI. They don't recieve the same amount of attention, which is not fair considering they have similar needs and problems. Pfft!
In Australia, there's an intense pressure for parents to implant their deaf kids because of the propaganda that CI is a cure or a miracle. Geez whiz, some of them will discover that CI is not the cure until too late. And some are already regretting their choice.

I'm off. Ta ta :)
 
its different because none of you are taking into account a lot of things

clarion or cochlear?
what year? new or old?
nucleus 22? 24? freedom?

like mine was 50,000 dollars, but this was in 1990 and it was with a nucleus 22.

some of you are at 80,000 dollars but the year is 1998 and its a clarion, but the value of the dollar goes up and the cost of insurance goes up, therefore its about the same price if this implantation took place in 1990.

you get the idea.
 
I also have noticed the disparity of attention lavished on children with HA and CI. They don't recieve the same amount of attention, which is not fair considering they have similar needs and problems. Pfft!
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Tell me about it....it's like people have forgotten that a signifecent number of deaf kids can benifit signifciently from hearing aids (meaning hear at hoh levels)
 
Cjanik said:
its different because none of you are taking into account a lot of things

clarion or cochlear?
what year? new or old?
nucleus 22? 24? freedom?

like mine was 50,000 dollars, but this was in 1990 and it was with a nucleus 22.

some of you are at 80,000 dollars but the year is 1998 and its a clarion, but the value of the dollar goes up and the cost of insurance goes up, therefore its about the same price if this implantation took place in 1990.

you get the idea.
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Er...my question concerning the difference in prices pertained to current costs of implants in the last year or so. I'm well aware of the cost factors inherited within inflation and those for different manufacturers of implants. Scuba's quoted cost of $110,000 vs $50,000 (for mine) is an extremely wide variance for a one implant surgury done roughly six months apart. I would find it very difficult to believe that there is really that much of a differnce that can be justified. Just think about it, you stated that yours was $50,000 back in 1990 whereas I just got mine in March of '05 for basically the same price some 15 years later. Ummm, I going to try to find out why my costs were so low...
 
here's example of my 2nd denial from my insurance co. the price quote.
 

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DeafSCUBA98 said:
here's example of my 2nd denial from my insurance co. the price quote.
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It sure sounds like this hospital was "padding" it's costs for loses elsewhere in the system...

Do you have any idea how many surgeries they do there in a year?
 
sr171soars said:
It sure sounds like this hospital was "padding" it's costs for loses elsewhere in the system...

Do you have any idea how many surgeries they do there in a year?
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all i know is that surgeon is doing alot of surgery.. not only CI but others too as well. and i was told he done over 300 surgeries for CI alone.. and the Dr's name is Dr. samuel levine.. he's well known doctor been in interviews, in some CI Videotapes, DVDs
he's been a surgeon for many years more than 10 i know for sure.

his name is mentioned in book called "journey out of silence" by dora weber
 
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