Hi Everyone!

[NWgirl 574]

My name is Stephanie... I started poking around here a couple weeks ago, and finally set up an account and decided I should do an introduction

I have tried countless weight loss strageties and spent a lot of money trying to make it work. Frankly, I don't know what else to do to help myself, and so I began to look at the lap band. When I first went through my insurance benefits (Regence BCBS of Oregon) , the booklet said that they did not cover any type of WLS surgery (and this is for an actual employee of BCBS!!).

I started to look into Mexican banding options, as I could not afford the $18k self pay quoted in Oregon. One of the gals from Oregon Weight Loss Surgeries said I should send my insurance info over anyways, and that sometimes with these companies you had to ask the right questions to see if you're covered, even if the book says you're not. Lo and behold two days later I got a letter in the mail saying that I could get WLS surgery under my insurance. The copay is $3750, and I do have to do a 6 month supervised diet through a BCBS program called "Turning Point." I'm so excited to be covered in the US, and I don't mind the diet program requirement

My question is this: Has anyone from Oregon that is covered by BCBS Innova plan gotten the lapband with the 6 month diet requirement? What is the program all about (I am waiting on a call back from a health coach from Turning Point)? Has anyone purposely not lost much weight to stay in the BMI requirement? Has BCBS looked at beginning weight only?

So many questions