tasherie

Thank you so much! :biggrin:

:bigear: I know that I am going to have to appeal so I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear how you approached your appeal and finally got approved :blush5:

Hey I am kinda in the same position you are. My bmi is 41, my insurance covers the procedure but requires a bmi of 50 for the sleeve. I think they will deny me at first but with all the research I have done and have on hand I am prepared for the appeal. ASMBS updated their position paper on the subject and I have l a lot of studies that were done on patients of a similar bmi to mine. I am armed and I am not going down without a fight, I hope you won't either.

I am 5'6" and weigh 252 currently, my BMI is 41. At this point I am 2 1/2 weeks from completing my final appointment for the insurance hoops of fire. At first I was going to get the bypass, but with research the RNY scared me more and the VSG scared me less, it actually brought me to my 'calm' or 'peaceful decision' lol I have yet to be approved, but I plan to fight. My insurance policy covers the sleeve but the wording states that its for patients with a BMI of 50 or over as part of a two step process blah blah blah :banghead: . Hopefully with the updated position paper from ASMBS (10/28/11) I can gain approval. I just told my surgeons office about the switch..and asked if they needed me to do anything different and they said no. I was never told to lose any weight...so idk.. :blush5: btw..why are there so many banana's doing it in the smilies?? lol

I really want the sleeve. I was originally researching the RNY, but with all the research and information decided to go with the sleeve for a lot of reasons. Now to my question, I have heard that Carefirst only does the sleeve for a 50 or over BMI? I am coming to the end of all of my insurance hurdles and I am really getting nervous that I will be denied because of a low bmi (for sleeve). Does anybody have any experience with Carefirst?

Thank you so much! Heres to praying that the process isn't long and drawn out, but I am prepared to fight. Mostly, because I do not want to have a surgery that I am not completely comfortable with just because some insurance company thinks I should.