Getting A Vasectomy in NYC and Minimizing Cost of Elective Surgery

September 3, 2015 8:57 AM

Like it says in the title - how do I go about getting a vasectomy. Is this the sort of thing I speak with my primary care physician about? What about minimizing cost? Do I speak with my insurer and find out what common and customary is?

This is my first time having a truly elective surgery so questions abound.

(married, late 30's father of two, wife and I agree this is the best step for us)

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

Your insurance very well may cover this completely. My husband had a vasectomy last week and all it cost us was the specialist co-pay. A good first step would be to get a copy of your insurance booklet (often available online) and see what your coverage is like.
posted by something something at 8:59 AM on September 3, 2015

Your PCP can give you a referral to a urologist. As long as your urologist and the surgical center/hospital are in-network you are probably OK. You can speak with your insurance company to see what the costs for an in-network procedure should be (probably a specialist copay for the visit plus either a procedure copay or 10-20% of the procedure cost, depending on your plan).
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 9:12 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Urologists are extremely accustomed to working out the details with your insurance and giving you a quote.

Ours was a $25 copay including lab fees, and as far as I remember they comped the initial consultation.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:15 AM on September 3, 2015

Call a urology office that accepts your insurance, and talk to their billing dept and/or call your insurer. Then look online at their urologists' practice bios and choose a urologist who uses a "no-needle, no-scalpel" vasectomy technique. Urologists are trained surgeons and IMHO are absolutely the only medical professionals one should trust with this procedure. There is usually a follow-up visit in approximately >30 days to make sure the semen is free and clear of sperm -- it's imperative that you follow up with having a post-vasectomy sample checked at the office. When you talk to billing or your insurer, be sure to ask them for the costs including this very important follow-up semen analysis.
posted by hush at 9:57 AM on September 3, 2015

I simply asked friends for referrals, and then called that urologist directly to make an appointment after checking my insurance would cover it in-network. The urologist acted like this was totally normal and was unfazed with my lack of formal referral from another provider. It was a two-part affair, with the first appt. where he explained the procedure and did a quick exam to make sure my vas deferens were locatable. The next appt was for the procedure itself. The costs were all very concrete and well explained, and they expected me to cut a check on the procedure day for my co-pay.

...and choose a urologist who uses a "no-needle, no-scalpel" vasectomy technique...

I would inform yourself a bit more than this about the various procedures that are possible. I had an old-school scalpel "yes, we are removing a chunk of that tube!" procedure and couldn't be happier.
posted by werkzeuger at 10:01 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

You are way more embarrassed/worried about this than they are. Just ask your PCP if there's any reason about your health not to do it, and then ask if they can recommend an urologist. If they take your insurance, you are probably all set.

If you have friends who aren't total prudes, also ask them -- someone has probably had it done. And they will almost certainly be willing to tell you all about it, now that they are not the one getting it done.

It's a quick visit beforehand, then "day of" it's also pretty fast. The only real trouble is what's in your head. :7)

Do some research about the different methods before you talk to the urologist. They may offer you choices, and you always ant to have your questions ready ahead of time.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:42 AM on September 3, 2015

My husband did this in June. Picked a urologist from the insurers website. No charge, not even a copay.
posted by saffry at 11:30 AM on September 3, 2015

I went about setting up my husband's by looking at the local (and nearest) options for urologists who offered vasectomy and checked their reviews. I then called the office and checked that they took his insurance, and how much it would cost. Then I set up a consult for him which he went to alone. (You could ask your GP but I personally like choosing based off reviews and location.)

They then set the appointment for 3 weeks out (just ended up being the best time for us.) He did a no-scapel and no-needle option which was super quick and pain-free. I think I was in the waiting room for maybe 30 mins. I paid there. (Ours was $550 since my husband doesn't have super great insurance currently but it all depends on your plan. You can also ask about payment plans for the office if it's more than you can pay out-of-pocket. No insurance would have been $900ish.)

He was sore for about a week and a half. Took two days off work. Took some pain pills for a bit and is now pretty much good. (His was two weeks ago.) He had very little swelling, no bruising, no bleeding. Just a small scab.

Also yes, you must get a followup. Our aftercare says 20 to 30 ejacuations and about 6 to 8 weeks. They gave him a specimen cup which he can drop off at the lab with the lab order at that time. You generally don't need any followup appointment, only lab work which you can generally just drop off at whatever lab they want.

Also, I know it's technically surgery - but his was less invasive than most dental work I've had. Although he was pretty sore - it was a super quick and easy procedure.
posted by Crystalinne at 11:30 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

FYI, Planned Parenthood also offers vasectomies in some of their locations. I don't know which ones in the NYC area do, but that shouldn't be too difficult to find out.
posted by cowboy_sally at 1:28 PM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have a high-end Kaiser plan and a vasectomy was not covered in any way (which is strange, because I have more than two kids and can thus add kids to my plan at no additional charge, so a vasectomy would seem to be a beneficial move for them).

I only found this out after my PCP referred me to the urologist, I watched a DVD and read a pamphlet, and I set up the appointment to have the procedure done. The doctor's office called me the day before the appointment and said "You will have to pay $1,000 tomorrow before we can do the surgery." I didn't have the money, so I had to cancel the appointment.

If you have Kaiser, double-check your benefits.
posted by tacodave at 3:41 PM on September 3, 2015