I'm thinking about surgery

maisieben · April 5, 2007

I have been over weight most of my life, and I have been thinking about my options lately...I have lots of questions and I live about 4 hours from the tbnc I would love to go for a consultation, but I still don't know if this is what I should be doing. I am also concerned about cost...nothing I have been reading talks about the cost, does OHIP cover any costs, I don't want to get my hopes up to only realize that I can't afford this....

musicalmomma · April 5, 2007

hi maisieben! I'm not sure what tbnc is...i'm guessing it's a surgeon that does lapband. The first thing I would do is contact your insurance provider and ask what the policy is regarding weight loss surgery. OR if your insurance is provided by your employer, contact your benefits rep in HR. They should be able to tell you if it's an inclusion or exclusion on your policy. Try http://www.lap-band.com/lapband/portal.do. They can assist you in finding a surgeon/seminar in your area and can answer a lot of your questions.

Best wishes!

ReneBean · April 5, 2007

Some health insurance covers the surgery - IF you meet their requirements. Otherwise, people use 401k loans, personal loans from Capital One and other lenders, HomeEquity loans...

The only way to know if your insurance plan covers the surgery is to call them and ask (SPECIFICALLY) whether they cover "bariatric surgery for treatment of Morbid Obesity." If they DO cover "bariatric surgery" then you need to specifically as about Gastric Banding.

Once you determine whether the INSURANCE company covers the surgery, you have to determine if your employer's plan covers it. A lot of employers have exclusions against bariatric surgery under any circumstances. They do that to get discounted insurance rates.

Your HR dept or your employer's insurance company rep can find out for you whether your plan has a specific exclusion.

If you have to pay out of pocket - you can get the surgery done for $15-$20K in the US. I have heard of some places going as low as $12,000 - depending on your location.

If you go to Mexico for surgery - the costs can be lower.

First check to see if your insurance is a possibility.

Good Luck in your research!