I went to my ophthalmologist today for cataract surgery pre-op. The appointment was to finalize my choices, sign consent forms, and pay. They asked me when I wanted the surgery done and I said as soon as possible. Since they only do cataract surgeries on Tuesdays, the first one will be next Tuesday 10/24, followed by the second one on Tuesday 10/31. I had to pay $7,000 out-of-pocket for laser surgery plus astigmatism lenses. They also asked me to buy eyedrops and that was $100 total for two tiny bottles.
I know our medical system, especially insurance, needs a lot of improvement. However, if I went with the standard procedure and standard lenses, the surgeries would have been paid for by my insurance. In Canada, insurance also pays for cataract surgery, but my cousin has been waiting for nine months to be scheduled and his eyesight is getting worse. Tradeoffs of socialized medicine I guess.
Life with chronic diseases 