When Sandra P., a Lantern member, first learned about her surgery benefits through Lantern, she was hesitant.
“The benefit was available through my work, but I didn’t use it for the first few years because I didn’t like the idea of being limited to doctors in the network,” Sandra admitted. “I was nervous because I didn’t know any of the doctors.”
But Sandra’s perspective began to change after hearing about her coworker’s husband’s knee surgery. He had an excellent experience, receiving great care while saving money on the procedure.
“From that, I realized the doctors were fantastic, and there were even travel benefits if we needed to travel,” Sandra shared.
Making the Call to Lantern
When Sandra needed hip surgery, she decided to call Lantern and connect with her Care Advocate. She learned that the procedure she needed was one of the thousands of procedures Lantern covers.
Sandra initially worried about having a limited choice of providers. However, her confidence grew as she researched the options her Care Advocate shared with her.
“I did my own research on them, and I’m pretty good at it,” she said.
Like many members, Sandra learned the surgeons in Lantern’s network are among the best at what they do. Surgeons in Lantern’s network are individually vetted to ensure they provide excellent care. The result is a less than 1% complication rate for Lantern members, which is far below the national average.
Getting the Care She Needed
At her first appointment with her Lantern surgeon, Sandra finally felt a sense of hope. She was struggling with pain and mobility issues, which made it difficult to lose weight, but her surgeon immediately put her at ease.
“He looked at me and said, ‘I can tell you’re so miserable,’” Sandra recalled. “Then he told me he could do the surgery in a month.”
Things moved even faster than expected for Sandra. Just a week later, Sandra’s surgeon’s office called to let her know they could perform the procedure sooner. For Sandra, this was a relief after suffering with pain for a long time.
“He saw I was in pain, and he took care of me,” Sandra said.
Thriving After Surgery
Over the next six months, Sandra underwent three procedures she had been putting off before she tried Lantern—all of which improved her life and mobility.
“The only thing I paid was my deductible for physical therapy,” Sandra explained. “I didn’t have to pay thousands of dollars…If it weren’t for Lantern, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.”
Now that Sandra has had the procedures she needed, she’s thriving and living a more active life. She’s back in the gym and focused on living her healthiest life. Overall, she’s happy she called Lantern and encourages her coworkers to do the same when they learn they need a plannable surgery.
“I am very happy with Lantern,” Sandra said. “I have had a few surgeries, and each one was stressless and my Care Advocate was amazing!”
