When you’re getting ready to have surgery, there are likely a lot of things on your mind that are causing you to worry. From finding a doctor without a history of medical malpractice lawsuits to wondering how you’ll handle the recovery, the list of things that are causing you anxiety is endless.

One thing you’re not going to want to worry about when your health is on the line, however, is the financial aspect of your surgery. But sadly, figuring out how you’re going to pay for your surgery is just a fact of life. So to help make this part of your procedure a little easier to bear, here are three ways you can prepare financially for an upcoming surgery or medical procedure.

Know What You’ll Be Charged For

Before you can adequately plan for how you’ll pay for your surgery, you first need to have a clear picture of what you’ll likely be charged for as part of your procedure.

According to Samantha Costa, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, you’ll usually be charged separately for things like anesthesia, medications, the doctor and staff performing the surgery, and stay you’ll have in the hospital, and any rehabilitation that takes place afterward. Because all these charges will likely be coming from different providers, it can help to call each one and ask about what the expected charges will be.

Speak With Your Insurance Carrier

Depending on the type or quality of health insurance that you have, the costs for your surgery and other procedures could be reduced quite a bit. However, insurance won’t always cover things that you think they might, so it’s always a good idea to check with them before your surgery date.

According to PlannerSearch.org, you’ll also want to check with your insurance to see if you’ll need pre-approval for the procedure you’re having done. If you need pre-approval for a procedure or surgery but don’t get it beforehand, your insurance might not pay their share of the bill.

Have A Plan For Consistent Payment

Once you’ve figured out approximately what your total bill will be after the surgery, you should then try to come up with a plan for how to make a consistent payment on this debt. Ideally, you’d want to be able to just pay the whole thing off all at once. But for many people, this simply isn’t an option.

To help you know what some of your options could be, Dr. Andrew Gear, a contributor to RealSelf.com, shares that some of the most common ways that people will finance their medical bills include setting up a payment plan, putting the balance on credit cards that you’ll then pay off, getting medical financing, or paying large lump sums of cash.

If you have a medical procedure or surgery coming up, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare financially for this event.