I’m having eyelid & brow lift surgery. Eyelids are covered by Kaiser. I have to pay for brows $5,600. Overpriced?

If you believe the cost of your procedure is excessive, then you may choose not to do it.  Prices of surgery depend on many factors.  The real estate (sterile operating room) devoted completely to you for the duration of your procedure is one factor.  The highly trained, skilled, professional licensed staff (surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurse(s), surgical tech) also all committed completely to you is another.  Risk mitigation is expensive, and technology (endoscope(s), surgical equipment and supplies, fiberoptic light source(s), back-up equipment and power in case of malfunction) are also costly.  Peri-operative care (pre and post-op visits) and individualized evaluation on a serial basis and maintenance of medical records documenting the entire process are time consuming, an additional investment of systems and resources.  Additional supportive infrastructure ("hidden costs") like regulatory, utilities, and taxation increase prices.
Still, whether or not all these costly elements will produce for you a sustained benefit and worthwhile investment of YOUR hard earned dollars is a decision that is yours alone.

Hi, pricing can vary between practices, depending on the type of brow lift, anesthesia, etc. The main question to answer is, does the procedure fit your face and overall cosmetic plan. This requires a good relationship with your surgeon and staff. Once you have that, price becomes a secondary issue. Good luck! 

Alinavarni  Thank you for your question.  An in person consultation is necessary to determine your best course of action and treatment plan.  Each physician, medical  center, anesthesia department  have their own pricing.  You will always be able to find pricing above and below.  The question is are you happy and confident with your choice of cosmetic surgeons?  If so, that is most important as you never want to discount your face.  AS the least expensive  price may end up being the costliest  if you need to return to the operating room.  That said , that price seems appropriate.

If you are adding on to a surgery being done at Kaiser, you are likely paying for the cash price cost of the operating room, scrub tech personnel in surgery, cost of the RN for recovery, and the anesthesiologist if there is one. Likely Kaiser has all those costs factored into your price. Is there a less expensive option elsewhere?  You can always find a cheaper place, but is it better? It depends on the value you place on your surgeon. If you only want that doctor, then the price is set and do it there.If you’re doing it there only because the blephs are free, then you have much to think about. Many people also do the blephs at Kaiser but go elsewhere for other work. It’s a decision for you depending on the value placed on that surgeon.

and if you search around, you can find better deals from reputable surgeons.  I offer an in office browlift (pretrichial/subcutaneous at the hairline) for just over $2000.  If you went to the OR, it would add almost $2000 more to the procedure.  So you can have your lids done by your contracted surgeon and choose someone else to have the browlift.  

When performing any type of functional surgical procedure, there  asked to be medical necessity documented along with pre-authorization with  your medical insurance. Co-pays and deductibles will be required to be collected as part of the payment in addition to your insurance payment for functional surgery.  Cosmetic surgery must be completely paid for by the patient.  The cost of a brow lift is directly determined by operating room time, anesthesia time, and surgeon's fees for performing the procedure.  There are many more variables to look at regarding your eyebrow lift such as placement of the incisions, coronal versus endoscopic, adjusting eyebrow asymmetries, lifting the eyebrows themselves, and softening the frontalis, and corrugator muscles of the forehead in addition to addressing any horizontal and vertical creases in the forehead.   Choose your a surgeon based on extensive experience, not price.  For many examples of eyelid surgery and brow lifts, please see the link and the video below

Pricing can vary depending on the surgery center, location, time, and surgeon. Any surgery is a big step and you should also make sure to budget your surgery comfortably so that you can handle unanticipated additional costs such as medications, complications, revisions, etc . Hope this helps!
Johnson C. Lee, MD
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
IG: @drjohnsonlee

As for any elective service, the provider charges what they they feel their service is worth. A client/patient can decide whether or not they feel it is "worth" paying for. Prices vary WIDELY. Remember, shop the doctor, not the price.