I agree with you!! no copay, no insurance premiums, no JOB, no worries, not fair.. someone always pays, it is not free like the people with this coverage think, the tax payers pay for it and anything else that is provided for them at no cost to them, I do think that for elective surgery there should be some kind of copay with medicare/medicaid because not covering it at all would not be the answer either, all of the cost for the health care these patients will need from the obesity and all that comes with it diabetes etc... would fall onto the tax payers as well... what can ya do...

I would like to clear up a few of my comments I should have really thought about this before writing ........medicare is an insurance that one gets when they have retired or been disabled (and other reasons) but they have worked and earned this coverage, and I do not want to offend any one who has earned their healthcare, for instance my father had medicare he was a veitnam veteran and served in the military for 20 years after the war, he earned his medicare coverage and so have many many others in this country.... I should not have grouped together the two types of ins. and I am sorry to anyone I may have offended.... and I do wish luck to ALL patients who are trying to get to a healthy weight no matter what Ins. they may have, this is a problem I have with the "man" who makes the decisions about what will and will not be covered for medicaid recipients, obviously if you have medicaid and are obese you will,like any of us, use that coverage to get to a healthy weight- good for you but bad for us tax payers who have to pay for yours and ours too.

Well. To put medicaid and medicare in the same category is wrong. Medicare paid for my srgery. Im not afraid to admit it. What did i do to deserve it? Joined the Army, injured my back in Iraq, and had 4to back surgeries. So, yes, I get a VA pension and social security forever. This includes Medicare coverage. Had I wanted to travel 6 hrs away, the VA wouldve done the surgery for free.

So to put medicaid and medicare on the same level is wrong. Most people who have Medicare earned it. I think i certainly did

Marci

marci,

I thought about that after i wrote what i did..... and to some point you are correct.

Personally i think if you served your country, you and your children should get health care for life. I'm glad you get a pension you deserve it. Thank you and your family for your sacrifice.

I guess my "beef" so to speak is with the scum-suckers of the USA that don't work, didn't serve there country and is just a complete drain on society....... These are the people that have no and will never have the ambition to get a job and pay their own way in life.... they are happy to be living off the government and sitting around all day doing NOTHING... Meanwhile, people like me that have two job (had three until 4 mths ago) get up everyday and got to work and pay the taxes for Lazy @$$ess to keep getting every thing for free and then have the nerve to complain.... OMG. These people have not earned the right to complain about FREE ANYTHING.... What next, complaining because your 400-500 dollars of Food Stamps isn't enough... Are your welfare check won't cover your weave and nail....

I with you... I work for the government, and they don't cover LP, only gastric... it's crap... but they are ok with me paying my taxes to pay for others to get it done for free. America disgusts me sometimes.

I completely agree with you about Medicaid, but Medicare is something that is "earned" per se. Medicare comes of course with age, but also if you have a debility that prevents you from working.

I think there is a LOT wrong with our Medicaid system, and it's horribly abused, but Medicare I see completely different.

I do completely agree with you about how frustrating it is. Even with my husbands awesome Union benefits, my surgery still cost me about $2900 total. Luckily, I hit my out-of-pocket max so everything is free the rest of the year....but knowing how hard he works for those benefits aggravates me to know someone gets them for free from the government when they weren't earned.

My insurance, which I work to pay for, doesn't cover any part of any bariatric surgery so I will be doing without any spending money or anything extra (and probably some necessities) for quite some time in order to self pay. Of course I will continue to work and continue to pay taxes so that I can pay my own way and yours too. So all of you out there who are able to enjoy better health on my dime, at least give me and every other working person a thought every now and then.

This is not intended for people who are disabled or otherwise truly unable to work and pay their way.

I agree with you about the medicaid....I'm all for helping out my fellow american...but not for the rest of their lives!! So i guess it becomes a discussion as to how long a person should be allowed to stay on medicaid? And should it not just be the basics? Should it be a better plan than most of american have? I don't think so. I actually changed jobs one time simply because I needed better health benefits. If a person is handedeverything they need, a home, food, insurance....what is the incentive to do better.

Now medicare is different. We pay into medicare through our payroll taxes. Because peoples insurance is usually linked to their employer when a person retires or becomes disabled they need to have something to take over. They have earned it. Then discussion turn to is lapband a elective surgery? Or is it a neccessary treatment? I say it is a treatment. If a person is successful on lapband, it will actually save the tax payers money. One avoided triple bi-pass heart surgery will more than pay for a lapband surgery and all the follow up care. Think of all those that have had LB and avoided becoming diabetic and all the money that is paid to treat a diabetic patient....same with heart disease.

I think all commerical insurance company should be made to cover it. It has been proven to be a successful treatment.

Ok, so i was already in a pissie mood yesterday and then i had the bright idea to go to Walmart (aka hell on earth)..... So i go up and down the isles making my decisions and sticking to my budget.... no chris, put that back... to expensive.....

But then i go and get in line behind this young woman... i'm guessing around 25ish.... two kids looks to be around 7 & 5. She has to be at least 250-300lbs. Both kids are over weight.... then i notice her groceries.... chips, cookies, pies, candy, sodas..... looks to be about every unhealthy snack in the store is represented in her buggy......Where was the good meat, chicken, fruits and veggies...... I want to reach out to her and say.... what are you doing to you and your beautiful kids. I wish some one would have done that to me.... then i would not have been a disgusting fat cow.... but never the less.

$250 later.... she whips out her Food Stamp card... and i about came unglued..... is that what my heard earned tax dollars are paying for....? I have to budget to get food and she buys all the crap ...... for FREE...

If we are going to be a government that says.... yes i will pay for you to have weight loss surgery, why can't we also put a stop to the total abuse of our Food Stamp program....? We pay for your WLS, but now we will monitor what you buy at the store and see if it was worth the money.....

I had to comment on this blog, I work in healthcare and see the abuse of the system every darn day.

Medicare as everyone stated prior is earned, and it is there to help people over 65, disabled individuals and transplant receipients. Medicare benefits at that are kind of crappy which drives me nuts since everyone pays into it.

Medicaid on the other hand is a whole different beast. I live in one of the most expensive states in the union, and about half of our patients are on medicaid for medical. I honestly don't feel bad about children receiving it, I'm from the school of every child under 18 deserves medical care. But, what frustrates me is that where I live, every six months you have to literally mail in a postcard to the state updating your demographic info and your medicaid is updated for another six months. People who don't do this, expect me (who has nothing to do with the patient other than paying for their medical) to do it, I'm like "you're an adult do it yourself" of course I can't say that, but I say it in a nice way lol.

I think there should definetly be a time limit on how long people are on medicaid, unless they have a chronic illness (ie cancer) and they literally cannot work due to their illness.

@bayougirl, you think that's bad in regards to the junk food on your dime? How about where I live they can use them at fast food restaurants. Real nice, huh?

Shues.... i bless you. My sister in law work doing the same thing and have to give you guys props. I could never do your job. I would get fired the first week. I can't keep my mouth shut, i think it and it comes right out. I just cant help myself... I have tried, but ... no can't.

I agree with you about the kids. And i think anyone who is in the military and there family should also have free health care. Older people who have put in the years, disabled... etc. Yes defiantly..... But the ones that keep spitting out kid after kid and doesn't or never has had a job.... and are just down right lazy and has no desire to better them selves to get off the government programs.... infuriates me. These programs are to help when your down... not a way of life.

We had a discussion last month, a friend and i about food stamps. I am all for them. I, myself had them for two months when my husband lost his job. They were a blessing. This was back when they were still paper and i still kept on my food budget and was able to stretch them to four months. This was our "beef"..... down south we eat Crawfish, i know you guys use them for bait, but here we eat them and they are very expensive. So, one day i really wanted some and they were having a special.... 10lb. $30. So i stopped. Low and behold the person right in front of me bought 60lbs with her FS card... i was pissed, why should you be able to buy this "luxury" item for free when i have to pay... But, fast food, that is ridiculous. Where do you live?

@bayougirl I live in Connecticut. The major cities in this state (Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford) have the highest obesity rates in the state, due to the fact that low income residents live in these cities, therefore making poor food choices (ie fast food, convenience foods at bodegas, etc). We also have a fun "program" where crack heads, etc will sell their food stamp cards to people for a reduced rate for cash. For example, if a person has $500 on their foodstamp card they'll sell the card for cash for $250, before you do that you go to a bodega get like a pack of gum and it'll show the balance of the foodstamp card on the receipt. Therefore, food is taken out of children's mouths but they get cash for whatever they want it for.

I have to say though, the city I work in (one of the major ones) they are really trying to get people that live in the city to get healthy. They recently opened up a Stop and Shop in the worst area in town and also opened up a co-op (unfortunately with HIGH food prices, but still accept foodstamps) that has a healthier range of food products (I'll even shop their in a pinch).

Trust me, my job is not easy, I used to work in the maternity section of where I work, and when I would see patients, they would be like "oh am I signing this so I can get more money for the state?" uh, no you're signing it so your child can have medical coverege. I would hear a lot of "I don't care about that, I want my money" ::rolls eyes::

a "fun program" for crack heads... what is this world coming too. And in the meantime kids are going hungry because their mom/dad is selling it to pay for drugs.... I thought Louisiana was crazy.

My son is an RN and daughter in law is an LPN. We have a charity hospital here that if you have low or no income, your care is free.

It's people like you described that would give me high blood pressure if i did your job.... bless you bless you bless you.

Im gonna say this. All medicare is not earned by people. Some on disability are not disabled they abuse the system, pretend they are crazy and live off of disability and medicare for free and havent worked a damn day in their life. So no not all medicare is earned. How many women that I have known who got kicked off welfare after two years decided their kid is crazy and gets ssi disability so her dumb ass wont have to go to work but continue to get a check so she can keep her lazy ass home. I also think that medicaid should not pay for lapband surgery at our expense. My insurance does not pay for anything bariatric not even fills. I had other insurance when I got my surgery that paid for the surgery except for 1,000 dollars I put out of pocket so no I get nothing now to help with fills excetera. If you are disabled and get medicare and are truly disabled that is one thing but so many people suck the system. I see everyday women in the grocery store buying junk and paying with a food stamp card. I think all of their food should be monitored and cookies and junk food should not be able to be paid for with food stamps. Hell yes it pisses me off. If you are disabled because you are obese, have surgery and you can now work then get off the system and go to work and put in your fair share. Desk jobs do not require any physical things. I work 12 hour long shifts at the hospital have arthritis in both knees and in both hips and even with drastic weight loss I go to work in pain every single day. So yes it pisses me off that the government pays for surgery. Off my soap box now.

I can see both sides. When I was pregnant with my daughter I was on Medicaid, and had no out of pocket expense for that pregnancy (besides some prescription and supplement things). And even though I only had Medicaid just to cover my pregnancy, I took full advantage of my benefits and got myself some new glasses too (still had to pay out of pocket for the frames). My husband worked a fulltime job, and we made about $25k a year. He had insurance for himself through his work - but I wasn't covered, and to cover me would have been very expensive.

Now my husband is in the Army and we get amazing coverage through Tricare. After moving to where we are now, I've gone around and checked up on the body parts I've been neglecting for 3 years after my Medicaid ended (OBGYN, wellness checks, dental exams, eye glasses etc).

I did have to go to the hospital once and an urgent care center twice while I had no insurance (before my husband enlisted), and my husband also had a health scare before he enlisted - so I've slowly but surely paid of my bills and his, and now we are just left with a couple (dentist bill, and his ambulance ride).

I say all that to say that I think Medicaid is great for the people who are just down on their luck, and trying to get back on their feet - maybe they lost their job in the economy or their business went under. But I also have come across people (my family is full of them) that devote their time and energy in learning how to exploit the system and find ways around claiming certain income and receiving extra benefits etc. Those people aggravate me. People who abuse the system don't deserve a free ride.

The system definitely needs some revision.