Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital

If you have Humana insurance, your out-of-pocket costs here will likely be noticeably lower than with other major plans—Sentara Virginia Beach General negotiates rates around $1,361 with Humana versus $2,300–$2,675 with Anthem, Cigna, or Carefirst. The hospital's mortality rate is better than the national average, which is a genuine quality signal. If you're uninsured or underinsured, the hospital has substantial financial assistance available and extends it to households earning up to 300% of the federal poverty line—most people don't know to ask, so call their financial counselors before your procedure.

Before you schedule, call the hospital's billing department and confirm the gross charges and your insurance company's negotiated rate for your specific procedure. If you don't have insurance or your coverage is thin, ask directly about financial assistance eligibility—with $9 million in charity care annually, they have money set aside for this.