Surgery wait for self-payers?

[MerryHearted 20]

I imagine this has been asked before but I've been hunting through posts and there are so many!

My insurance specifically calls out that it does not cover WLS of any kind, and my doctor's office said if that's the case then it's unlikely I'd get anywhere appealing that.

So... just curious what the wait time is normally between initial appointment and actually having surgery when you don't have all the insurance hoops to jump through?

I already have a bi-pap for my sleep apnea, so I doubt I'd need to go through another sleep study. I just had blood and urine run through my regular dr.s office -- I'm diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol... yay!

I'm hearing some of you saying you have to wait 6 months -- is that a requirement of your surgeon's office? The insurance?

[kymberle61 13]

The 6 months is a requirement for the insurance. It differs from insurance to insurance. I don't know about self pay

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[vsg10.14.16 21]

I had my first appointment with my doctor on September 29th and had my actual surgery on October 14th. My insurance does not cover weight loss surgery but I also had a hernia that needed to be repaired. My insurance covered the hernia and I paid cash for my sleeve. My Doctor was awesome and helped me with everything.

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[anywon 19]

What insurance do you guys have that won't cover wls? I have blue cross and blue shield and i am worried that i will get all of my other doctors appointments done and then not be approved for surgery by my insurance. This is constantly in the back if my mind!

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[glitter eyes 1,398]

My mom just had a gastric sleeve and was self pay. It was probably less than three weeks total from her first visit to surgeon until surgery. It went super fast.

[MaryCatherine 173]

ir just depends on how busy the surgeon is.

What insurance do you guys have that won't cover wls? I have blue cross and blue shield and i am worried that i will get all of my other doctors appointments done and then not be approved for surgery by my insurance. This is constantly in the back if my mind!


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Many companies that used to cover weight loss surgery no longer do as a cost savings for the company. Always check your policy by calling the number on back of your insurance card.

[MerryHearted 20]

It's not always just the company but sometimes which policy that your employer uses. Premera Blue Cross is what I have, but the policy doesn't cover it. At my last employer I also had Premera Blue Cross but the policy covered a lot more, including WLS.

[vsg10.14.16 21]

What insurance do you guys have that won't cover wls? I have blue cross and blue shield and i am worried that i will get all of my other doctors appointments done and then not be approved for surgery by my insurance. This is constantly in the back if my mind!

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I have United Health Care. I work for the State of Texas.

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[rose10 3]

For self pay patients you can get to surgery faster but don't forget th see your primary care doctor and other doc you see to keep them in the loop. I was a self pay patient myself. I also recommend seeing a counselor for emotional issues before and after surgery if possible. The psychological adjustments are just as important as physical adjustments to greatly increase success after wls

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[TSDOR 17]

I'm self pay and I started in September. I'll have surgery on December 22. However I have so many Support meetings and required Doctors appointments before they will do the surgery. I think it's different for each office and how quickly you can do all the requirements.

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