What Bariatric Surgery Costs in Illinois: Our Self-Pay Prices
Most practices make you book a consultation to hear a number. Ours are below, in writing, and they are the same numbers you will hear in the room. One package price covers your surgery from admission to discharge and six months of follow-up with Dr. El Djouzi. Pre-operative testing is billed separately, and your insurance will often pay for that part even when it excludes the surgery itself.
| Procedure | Self-pay package | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Gastric sleeve | $14,000 | About 80% of the stomach is removed, leaving a narrow pouch. Robotic, through a few small incisions, usually one night in the hospital. |
| Gastric bypass | $23,000 | A small stomach pouch plus a rerouted small intestine. The stronger choice for type 2 diabetes, severe acid reflux or a higher starting BMI. |
| Bariatric revision | Quoted individually | Band removal, sleeve to bypass, sleeve to SADI-S and other conversions differ too much for one price. You get yours in writing at your consultation. |
| Medical weight loss (GLP-1 program) | $647 first month, then $297 per month at the founding rate | Physician-led medication program. Prepaid and concierge options below. The medication itself is bought from the pharmacy and is often covered by insurance. |
Package pricing applies to standard, uncomplicated cases and is confirmed at your consultation. Prices do not include pre-operative testing, specialist clearances or treatment of unrelated conditions. Prices checked November 2026.
How much does gastric sleeve surgery cost in Illinois?
Our complete self-pay gastric sleeve package is $14,000. It covers Dr. El Djouzi's surgical fee, anesthesia, the hospital facility fee and your hospital stay at University of Chicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital, every post-operative visit with him for six months, nutritionist consultations, and our support sessions and private patient group.
For comparison, as of November 2026 MDsave lists outpatient gastric sleeve prices in Illinois from $10,298 to $26,877, with an MDsave regional average of $16,621 and an estimated national average of $34,547. CareCredit's September 2026 cost guide puts the national average for a laparoscopic sleeve at $10,681, with a range of $7,269 to $18,483. Those figures rarely say what they include, and the lower ones usually cover the surgeon or the facility rather than both, with follow-up billed visit by visit. Ours is one number, and it includes the hospital stay and six months of care.
How much does gastric bypass surgery cost?
Our complete self-pay gastric bypass package is $23,000, with the same inclusions as the sleeve package. The bypass costs more because it is a longer operation with two new connections, and it is the one we recommend when type 2 diabetes or severe reflux is part of the picture.
As of November 2026 MDsave lists Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in the Chicago region from $19,900 to $22,779, with a regional average of $20,311 and an estimated national average of $36,125. CareCredit's guide to gastric bypass costs reports a range of $15,000 to $35,000, with $23,000 the most quoted price. Our package sits at that most-quoted figure and a little above the MDsave Chicago range, and the difference is what is bundled: the hospital stay, the follow-up visits and the dietitian are inside our number rather than added afterwards.
How much does bariatric revision surgery cost?
Revisions are quoted individually, in writing, at your consultation. A lap band removal, a sleeve-to-bypass conversion and a sleeve-to-SADI-S conversion are different operations with different hospital stays, so one price would be wrong for most patients. What stays the same is the structure: one number that covers surgeon, anesthesia, facility, hospital stay and six months of follow-up, with pre-operative testing billed separately. Revision patients also need an upper endoscopy and imaging before the operation is chosen, and those are usually covered by insurance even when the surgery is not.
What does the self-pay package include, and what does it not?
Included in the sleeve and bypass packages:
- Dr. El Djouzi's surgical fee
- Anesthesia
- Hospital facility fee and your hospital stay
- All surgical care from admission to discharge
- Every post-operative visit with Dr. El Djouzi for six months
- Nutritionist consultations
- Support sessions and our private patient group
Not included:
- Pre-operative testing (labs, imaging, endoscopy) and specialist clearances. Your insurance can often cover these even when it excludes bariatric surgery, and we bill them that way whenever your plan allows.
- Treatment of unrelated conditions
- Care outside a standard, uncomplicated case. Package pricing applies to standard cases and is confirmed in writing at your consultation.
What does medical weight loss cost?
The Surgeon-Led Weight Loss Program is self-pay and priced by month. There is no separate consultation fee, because your first visit with Dr. El Djouzi is part of enrollment.
| Package | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | $647 first month | Consultation with Dr. El Djouzi, dietitian consultation, baseline body composition scan, prescription and titration management, support group, weekly check-ins, recipe library, insurance coverage guide |
| Monthly after enrollment | $297 per month founding rate, locked for as long as you stay enrolled | Standard rate after the virtual launch: $347 per month. Three-month commitment to start, cancel anytime after |
| 3-month prepay | $1,097 paid once | Instead of $1,241 paid monthly |
| 6-month prepay | $1,897 paid once | Instead of $2,132 paid monthly, includes a mid-point body composition scan |
| Concierge | $997 first month, then $497 per month | Every visit with Dr. El Djouzi personally, quarterly scans, direct messaging, priority scheduling |
| Nutrition coaching, no medication | $247 first month, then $147 per month | For patients below the medication threshold or who prefer to start without a prescription |
The program fee covers the medical care: prescribing, dose management, monitoring and guidance. The medication itself is purchased from the pharmacy, and many insurance plans cover part or all of it. Blood work and imaging are billed to your insurance when your plan covers them.
How does financing work?
If you would rather pay over time than up front, we work with MD Save, a third-party financing partner. Approval runs through them, on their criteria. Other lenders that finance bariatric surgery include CareCredit, Prosper Healthcare Lending and United Medical Credit. Some employers offer a pre-tax bariatric benefit account, and our affiliated hospital offers in-house payment plans. Our financial coordinator compares the cash price against the cost of financing with you, so the cheaper option is obvious before you choose.
Is paying myself cheaper than using insurance?
Sometimes. With insurance you meet your annual deductible first, then pay coinsurance, commonly 20 to 30 percent, until you reach your out-of-pocket maximum. On a high-deductible plan that can land close to a self-pay package, with months of approval work added. Self-pay makes sense when:
- You have no coverage. Uninsured, or between plans, and you do not want to wait for coverage you may never get.
- Your plan excludes bariatric surgery. Plenty of employer plans carve out weight loss surgery entirely.
- You were denied. A first denial is common, and some patients are denied more than once before approval. If you are tired of appeals, you can pay and move.
- You want it done sooner. Insurance approval runs one to two weeks once the packet is in, longer if a supervised diet program is required first. Self-pay skips that queue.
If your plan does cover surgery, we verify your benefits at no cost and give you a written breakdown against your actual deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, so you can compare the two numbers side by side. What each insurer requires.
Why do bariatric surgery prices vary so much?
Four things move the number: whether the surgeon's fee, the anesthesia and the facility are quoted together or separately, whether the operation is done in a hospital or a surgery center, how much follow-up is included, and how the practice handles a complicated case. A low headline price is often the surgeon's fee alone. When you compare quotes, ask each practice the same four questions and write the answers next to the price.
How do I get my number in writing?
Book a consultation, usually within 48 hours, virtual or in person in Darien or Bolingbrook. Dr. El Djouzi reviews your history and your BMI, tells you which procedure fits, and you leave with the full cost in writing before you commit to anything.
No referral needed · Hablamos Español · Most major insurance accepted
What else do patients ask about cost?
Are there hidden costs after surgery?
No. Every post-operative appointment with Dr. El Djouzi in the first six months is covered by the surgery fee. You will not get a separate bill for those visits.
When do I pay?
Your consultation is paid when you book it on the payment page. The package is paid before your surgery date, in one payment or through MD Save financing.
Can I use my insurance for part of a self-pay surgery?
Yes. Even when a plan excludes bariatric surgery, it will often still pay for the pre-operative tests and specialist clearances. Use it where you can.
Do the prices change?
They are confirmed in writing at your consultation and honored for that quote. This page shows the prices in force in November 2026, and we update it when they change.
Sources
- MDsave. Gastric Sleeve (outpatient) in Illinois, price range and averages as displayed on November 3, 2026. mdsave.com
- MDsave. Gastric Bypass Roux-En-Y in the Chicago Region, price range and averages as displayed on November 3, 2026. mdsave.com
- CareCredit. Gastric sleeve costs and financing, September 11, 2026. carecredit.com
- CareCredit. Gastric bypass cost and weight loss surgery financing, August 11, 2022. carecredit.com
This page is general information, not medical advice. Insurance criteria and prices change. Talk with Dr. El Djouzi and our office about what applies in your case.