Yes, at least in my area surgery usually takes a few months to get scheduled. Besides, you'll need a pre-op physical and blood work by your primary doc for surgical clearance.

Insurance for the office visit with Dr. Feigenbaum will fall under whatever your policy covers for an office visit with a neurosurgeon. Depending on your insurance, you may need a referral and coverage maybe different for in-network or out of network doctors. I have Medicare (due to long term disability) and a BCBS PPO, and it was my normal office visit co-pay.

The staff won't schedule your surgery until it's cleared by your insurance. It will depend on your insurance policy how much is covered. (My policies usually fully cover surgeries and hospitalization, so I'm not expecting much of a bill if any.)

If you are going to Dallas to see Dr. F, the office staff can send you a list of local hotels nearby that they have pre-arranged special room rates for patients. Most have complimentary shuttles too. I suggest checking TripAdvisor for ratings. I can't make any recommendations on the hotels nearby as I ended up staying near friends about 15-30 minutes dependent on traffic. I can say the Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville was well kept and clean and the staff friendly.