Out-of-Pocket Costs: Laparoscopic Surgery for Endometriosis

As part of their endometriosis treatment and management, many women with endometriosis undergo laparoscopic surgery to reduce their endo symptoms. In fact, according to our Endometriosis In America data from 2020, 71% of survey takers have undergone a laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, and 50% of them have had more than one; Additionally, 25% of those who have had a laparoscopy have had more than 3!

Because laparoscopic surgery is fairly common for women with endo, many patients ask us, “How much does a laparoscopy cost?”. To better understand the out-of-pocket costs associated with laparoscopies, let’s look at the data.

Laparoscopy costs vary greatly

We asked those who had a laparoscopic surgery to provide their out-of-pocket cost, 645 chose to provide a response. According to our 3rd Annual Endometriosis In America survey, laparoscopy costs vary greatly. While the average out-of-pocket laparoscopy cost was $4,923, some women did not have any out-of-pocket costs, while others paid thousands of dollars. However, insurance status and type may also play a role in how much a laparoscopy will cost.

The impact of insurance

Out-of-pocket costs vary my insurance type. For example:

• Medicaid recipients: 69% paid less than $500
• Medicare recipients: 33% paid less than $500
• Private insurance: 42% paid between $500 and $3,999
• Military coverage: 19% paid between $500 and $3,999
• No insurance: 23% paid $8,000 or more

The no insurance group also had the highest proportion of women paying $8,000 or more (23%), while the Medicaid group had the highest proportion of women paying $499 or less (69%). In total, the majority of women (40%) paid between $500 and $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs, followed by 35% paying less than $500, 15% paying between $4,000 and $8,000, and 10% paying $8,000 or more.

The true cost of endometriosis

Overall, it’s clear that cost plays a major role in the endometriosis experience, especially when it comes to endo surgeries. With 7 in 10 endo warriors receiving a laparoscopy and over half of them receiving more than 1, out-of-pocket expenses can create a huge burden, especially after repeated surgeries. But, as any endo warrior will tell you, the costs of endometriosis aren’t just physical - unpredictable symptoms, debilitating pain, and frustrating flares also take a toll.

If you have concerns about affording endometriosis treatment, or managing endo in general, visitin our Q&As or Forums to find resources and get support. You can also comment below to share your own experiences or connect with the endometriosis community for more.

n=1,234