Someone else on this site had to negotiate with Nath re the charges. When their insurance was only going to pay a lesser amount & the person called Nath to cancel the surgery, he called back that same day with a substantially reduced figure. I guess when you're working with surgeons who have a private practice, they're going to charge more since they need to make a profit, but they also have the ability to negotiate.
If it's not too late to consider the Mayo Clinic in MN, most insurance companies will work with their MN counterpart to handle all expenses as in-network. We have Blue Cross Blue Shield, and with a LOT of surgery at Mayo (totalling ~ $125K), we've only had to pay ~$750 out of pocket...for a biofeedback unit & training that wasn't covered by BCBS. Since the Mayo doctors are actually employees & thus on salary, the costs at Mayo are very, very low compared to other bpi clinics. Perhaps that's why insurance companies like them so much!
In the meantime, if you're set on Nath, see if he'll negotiate with you.
Take care & keep us posted.
Ellen