chinatrain99

Good for you. However, I think with a bmi of close to 60, I'll be in a fight with my company for coverage. I think they're putting too much emphasis on the BMI and not the individual...Oh well, cross that water when I get there.

I have Health Alliance which is based out of Champaign. That is also where Carl Clinic is where DR Roscheib (spelling) from Clinton does a lot of surgeries. He's recently been doing the band. As yet, my insurance doesn't cover the band and I wonder if it ever will. I wonder if the insurance company is working with Carl to determine the success of the band. I know it's cheaper, if it works as well, why isn't the insurance companies jumping on it?

I understand the Dr supervised diets...been on one for years. I'm 390+ lb, 5' 7" and 40 years old. I was a week away from the bypass and backed out because I could never see long-term results...it's much simpler to die from obesity than to be operated on and stress your body with malnutrition...maybe a bad attitude about it, but I've heard of lots of problems. The band was what I wanted even back then. I have borderline diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe sleep apnea. My goal isn't that lofty...I'd like to be below 275. I see a lot of people with the band that do very well and some that it looks like wasted their money. If you don't change your lifestyle and what you eat, it won't work. However, if you do change your lifestyle and what you eat, you should lose weight. That makes me hesitate from doing it. I don't think a band will work for someone who eats ding-dongs. May not be able to eat as many ding-dongs, but they still won't get good results. Right now, I'm doing the excersise thing. I do the eliptical for 20+ minutes a day (2500 steps because my short fat legs move no faster), lift 3 days a week, and try to do the bike 4 miles 5 times a week. I've stepped it up quite a bit from just lifting..I wasn't losing anything. Dr told me more cardio so I bought the bike. In the last week, I started the eliptical...I'm planning on sweating it off. Did 35 minutes yesterday morning and went to bed at 7:30 last night! I'm trying to eat better...more meats and fruits. However, I eat like a horse. I think the band would help me with that a lot. I think if my insurance would cover it, they'd say that my BMI was too high.

Thanks Alex...that's what I've been thinking. I'm a little surprised nobody else commented. I'm sure that I'm not the only one checking out this site that isn't banded. I don't think I'm alone in "waiting to see what insurance" does either.

government employee??

What's the chances of Health Alliance covering it?

My daughter is getting into biking and I need to get a bike to go along with her. However, I'm near the 400 lb mark. Is there a bike out there for me? Can I get one at a discount store or am I going to have to go to a cycle shop? Any help/brands would be appreciated.

Anyone working for the State of Illinois find an insurance/process that will cover the lap band? I'm Health Alliance but they don't cover so I don't think that I can appeal. Just checking to see what other people are doing/thinking to try.

Sorry to hear about the boobs. I feel like a freak when I'm around young children. When I walk thru my daughters daycare they look up at me with a look of "don't fall on me"!

I'm not banded...not entirely sure it will help me. I still think if I work hard enough that I can do it. If I can't do it now, WLS would just give me time until I stretch it out again. I've done it several times before, but those times I didn't excersise. This time I know if my weight starts up again, I will do the WLS. I'm 5'7" and weigh 400 lbs. Walking is still a pain for me. I was in the gym doing weights and the eliptical machine until it started bothering my leg. Unfortunately, I ended up at a Chiropractor who slipped a disk in my neck...I probably had a bad disk there anyway. So, I don't lift now and I'm a little week with my left arm. I'm too big for the MRI machine and without an MRI, I couldn't prove damage and I couldn't get a lawyer to take my case. Not much sympathy from people when you're overweight. Currently, I'm counting calories and trying to keep them below 2000 5 days a week and just trying to hang on on the weekends. What I can do is swim. I'm up 5 mornings a week at 4:30 a.m. to go swimming. I'm currently up to 2/3 of a mile a day. I'm not a fast swimmer, but I don't stop...slow and steady for 40 minutes. I can feel the weight going down. I'm hoping I'm below 400lbs in a couple of weeks...birthday present.

Has anyone heard? Is it even being reviewed by Health Alliance? When I look at this post It seems like there are more and more people having the procedure. I would assume the insurance companies would pick up on this soon.

I checked into the place in Peoria doing the lap-band for self-pay prices. My BMI is too high for them to do it. They only do a BMI up to 50. My luck if Health Alliance ever does approve it, I'll be too big to qualify.

i don't have an issue with self-pay. It's not the 14 to 18 thousand that bothers me. I'm 5'7" and weigh 400 lbs with sleep apnea. what if something happens on an uncovered insurance procedure? I don't think I could afford that! Right now, I'm being patient...hoping that it will be covered someday soon. In the meantime, I go to the club 5 days a week. I swim 2/3 of a mile 3 days a week and the other 2 days I lift for 20 minutes and then swim for 1/3 of a mile. I'm feeling better than I have in years and I'm 39 years young. I'm also eating better, unfortunately, I have a "HUGE" appetite. I try to curb it but we all know how hard that is to do all the time. I have faith that the lap-band is what I need and I'll be getting one soon. I haven't given up hope!!!

As yet, my insurance Health Alliance doen't cover the Lap band. Are there insurance companies out there that didn't cover the band but are covering it now? I was just curious if Health Alliance is slow coming around or if all insurance companies are slow coming around? What's the popular concensus...are more and more insurance companies covering it or are they all holding out?

I'm kind of shocked that "nobody" has an opinion on this!!

I haven't been on in a while. I'm hoping that the first of the year will bring some changes with Health Alliance. I'm also debating doing a pre-tax MCAP reimbursement. I think that I can do up to 10,000 pre-tax dollars (not sure but will check out soon). I really want to get this done soon.

i know dr r is working with health alliance, because they're in champaign, to try to get the lap approved. i called health alliance today and they said that my prior approval for the rny was good for 3 months. they said that i could try to re-open it and have health allience re-review the procedure. since it's 1/2 the cost, it's a matter of time before they approve it. i guess i'll see if i can get it thru this time. the more people making the wheel squeak, the faster it gets greased.

I was working out for an hour 5 days a week. I was also cutting carbs. i'm not much of a meat eater so atkins all the way is impossible for me. however, if atkins is correct, it's no wonder i weigh so much. i mainly eat pasta's. as a kid i ate more hamburger and cheese. i always ate like a horse. i used to walk and bike everywhere. however, now i'm older and way less active. that accounts for about 150 to 200lbs since high school. i like to be active, unfortunately, the weight has gotten to me. I don't know how i really got so big, but i just can't seem to get back. I miss walking and riding a bike. I would like to be able to garden more. if i'm up on my feet, my feet, kneese, ankle's cause a lot of pain. i see the neurologist tomorrow about my neck. if I can, I'm going to start working out in the mornings again. that's why i want the lap band. i'm not trying to impress anyone in a swimsuit, i just want my life back.

Dr Rohrschieb has done the RNY for several people that I know. He's been doing it for quite a while but he was doing it open. He just started banding recently and I think the banding is when he started doing laser. I was a week away from surgery with him and I backed out....just couldn't do that. I am looking into the banding and will have him do it if possible. I work for the state and have health alliance. I checked with his office and personal care and blue cross cover the lap band. If health alliance doesn't cover it this year, I'm going to either switch to a company that does, or just pay for it. I'm 5'7' and 400+ pound male. I lost 50 lbs so far working out. I was having muscle pain and went to a chiropractor and she slipped a disc in my neck. it was pretty painful for about a month. it's hard to lose much when you can't walk (bad feet) and you can't swim or lift weights. I checked into this site hoping to find out more about insurance and which dr's can get it a referall to go thru. Not much in Central Illinois. Email and let me know what you've found out. Jeff