Well howdy, neighbor!
I don't know why exactly dealing with BCBSTX was such a breeze, but it really was. I had surgery less than 2 weeks after I made my decision, but the procedure was actually approved in just a few days. It was probably some combination of the thousands of dollars they had clearly spent on less invasive treatments along with the doctor's office's experience with filing claims for this particular treatment. I ended up paying my OOP maximum for the year (which is different from your deductible) which was $5500. If you are using insurance, I doubt a 2-level procedure would ever cost lest than your OOP maximum, even if you have a high deductible plan.
Another thing I really liked about Peterson was that he operates out of a private surgical hospital, called Arise (you can look them up online if you are interested). It is a full surgical center and emergency room, just smaller and friendlier. My room was like a nice hotel room, complete with a pull-out bed for my husband to sleep on. The staff were extremely personable and attentive. For my first surgery, there were just 12 other inpatients, and only 6 for my most recent surgery (unrelated to the cervical one). It was SO much better than waking up in a busy, scary hospital, and I felt like people really cared about making me feel as comfortable as possible.
If you do go in for a consult, make sure it's Peterson you see, and bring a list of questions as he can sometimes be brief. And if you're within driving distance, you might as well check out TBI too.