When you have moved past the research stage and have concluded that you wish to pursue lasik surgery, paying for the procedure is one additional detail that needs to be worked out. If your insurance will not cover it and you don’t have enough in the bank to pay in cash, thankfully there are options.

As with almost all health insurance plans, my coverage provider considered vision correction surgery an elective operation and would not pay any part of the cost. Fortunately, I did have other options available to me. The choices which were available to me will probably be available for you as well so if you want to have lasik surgery it is still quite possible despite your health insurance not covering it.

The center where I had my lasik surgery offered me a payment plan. Their payment plan called for a reasonable down payment and they did not charge interest on the outstanding balance. There were a couple of lasik centers near my home that offered no down payment, no interest payment plans so make sure you discuss financing options and terms with your provider.

Third-party financing is also an option if the lasik center you choose does not offer a payment plan. Companies such as CareCredit will finance your lasik surgery. Having bad credit could be an obstacle if you are considering using a finance company, though. Your doctor may be able to recommend or provide you with a list of outside financing companies so ask if you are interested.

If you have enough available credit, your lasik provider most likely will accept credit cards. Many patients end up just using their credit card as it requires no additional paperwork or qualification. Before you hand over your credit card, though, compare the interest rate, late fees and minimum payment to those offered by the outside finance companies you doctor can recommend. You may find that your credit card is not the best deal.

Saving regularly until you have enough money to pay for the procedure is another option. You may be in no hurry to have lasik surgery. You may not wish to use credit to pay for your surgery. If you do not anticipate having surgery in the near term, then there is no reason not to put some funds aside to go toward it when you are ready.

If you participate in a flexible savings account offered by your employer, the money in your FSA can be used to pay for part or all of the cost of your lasik surgery. Flexible savings accounts are convenient and easy to set up so if you are not sure if your company offers them, ask at work.

As you can see, if you decide on lasik surgery, but your health plan does not cover it, you are not simply out of luck. You can save until you have enough or you can finance. There is a payment option that makes sense for everyone.

I was charged slightly over two thousand dollars per eye for my lasik eye surgery, which I had in mid 2006. That price may seem high if you have seen ads in your local newspaper or online promising lasik surgery for a fraction of what I paid. My sincere advice is to view these ads with a great deal of skepticism. As we will see in this article, the advertised price is rarely the price you will pay.

Ads promising low priced lasik may be leaving out the cost of necessary services. Pre-surgical exams and aftercare may not be included in the advertised price. The promoted price may just be a tactic to lure you to their office.

If you call or respond to an advertisement offering rock bottom prices, they may refuse to discuss price and push for you to come in. Once they get you in for a visit, you may well be subjected to high pressure sales tactics. The “consultant” you meet with may have little or no medical training and may in fact just be an aggressive salesperson.

In addition to leaving out the costs of needed services, ads promising a low price on lasik surgery may be promoting a price that few people can actually get. As an example, the price you see may only apply to people who require a low degree of correction in order to achieve 20/20 vision. Only a small percentage of patients may be eligible to actually pay the lowest price.

At the end of it all, when the final price of your procedure and extras are added up, you could very well find that the price you are actually quoted is in line with or greater than other surgeons. The price that you end up paying may not even resemble the price in the ad that got your attention.

Certainly, the cost of your lasik eye surgery is a concern and cannot be ignored, but it is important to understand that there is a lot more to lasik surgery than price alone. Consult with your doctor. Speak with people who have undergone the procedure and try to gauge their satisfaction with their surgeon. Be crystal clear on cost and what the price you are quoted does and does not include. Remember the old adage: if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.