Thinking about Lapband surgery and have questions!

[ELL1021 0]

Hi. I'm new to this so please bear with me. I'm in the process currently of looking into having lapband surgery. I'm scheduled to attend a seminar on Mary 20. So far all information I find on the web is going to cause me to not be able to fulfill my dream of losing a lot of weight (at least over 100 pounds) due to not having receipts for weight loss programs. Who knew you had to keep receipts for buying products to try to lose weight!? Now what do I do? I'm not a wealthy person so paying fees to gyms and weight loss programs isn't an option I had the luxury of enjoying. I'm 56 and not interested in starting again from scratch after all these years of trying to lose weight with buying things again just to have the receipts now. Did anyone else fall into this rut and what did you do to get past it with the insurance? I have books but no receipts. I can tell you all the foods I purchased over the years but no receipts. My insurance covers the surgery but reading information on the web it all shows that I need proof of all these other weight loss attempts programs. I can't afford all that after all these years. Can someone give me some guidance?! Please!?

[hallelujah.girl 1]

I did not have to go through that with my insurance, but was wondering if you have ever talked to your pcp about weight loss attempts. I would think those attempts would be recorded in your charts. Might not hurt to find out what they have in your chart.

Edited May 2, 2009 by hallelujah.girl

[malissa 0]

If you are referring to the 6mo supervised diet - it is pretty standard for most insurances.

It basically consists of meeting with your PCP once a month, weighing in, and discussing weight loss.

Good Luck!

[willowcat 93]

Start with you pcp and get a referral for wls from him/her. Your health record more than likely shows your weight history--the up and downs and ups. Also, the more you read on this site, the more you realize how very different every insurance company's requirements are for wls. You'll need to contact your insurance company to find out what "proof" they need of your weight-loss efforts.

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

I was asked by my surgeon what weight loss programs I had tried (yeah, practically all of them LOL). What you may actually need for your insurance company is weight loss RECORDS....your weight history for 5 years or some other period of time. Every time you go to a doctor, they weigh you and take your blood pressure (unless it's a hand doctor, like the one I'm seeing right now) plus other things possibly. ALL of that is recorded in your file on a notations page for that visit. I suggest you call your insurance company (there should be a customer service phone number on your card) and talk to them. Ask what their requirements are to cover weight loss surgery (specifically, what documentation do they need for the approval process); is there a pre-op diet requirement; etc.

My insurance didn't cover me at all and I knew that before I went to the first consultation, but my best friend's insurance covered her...they required either a BMI of 40 or 35 with at least 2 co-morbidities (high blood pressure, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, etc. They didn't require a pre-op diet, but some insurance policies require 3 or even 6 months of pre-op diet but even that's not the end of it. Most WLS surgeons offices will do the monitoring of any required pre-op diet program and many include it in the price of the surgery since all they have to do is have you come in once a month, weigh in, check your BP, etc.

It's so easy to be put off by the way the insurance companies will try not to cover some procedures but if you call, talk to someone anda get your answers from the horse's mouth, I think you'll feel much better about this!

[baps813 0]

I would say don't panic. Even if your prior history is insufficient, more than likely your insurance co. has a 3 or 6 month plan you can get on NOW for going forward- and they would pay for it if they cover the surgery.

The first step though, is to speak directly with your Insurance company and find out what you have to have.

[missboo333 0]

Once I went to the seminar last summer, it started the ball rolling. The insurance specialist in my surgeon's office took over from there and handled everything! She was amazing! She would call and tell me what she needed and I would have it sent over or take care of it. I was denied one time, but after an appeal, we ran from there.

Make friends with your surgeon's insurance specialist and good luck!!

[blklab70 1]

I have Blue Cross and I was just asked by my doctor what programs I had done through my life to try to lose weight. You might want to start a list cause when I was trying to think of them all I know I left out a couple. I was not required to do a 6 month diet. I went to my first appointment with doctor on 22 Dec 2008, started the eval classes and was banded on 10 Feb 2009. Have lost 41 pounds to date with only one fill. I will have my second fill in about a week. Don't let anything stop you if you are really serious. I would recommend this in a heartbeat! I needed this help. I had tried Weight Watchers, Slender Now, cabbage diet, Atkins, South Beach and everything else that came along. I would lose then gain it right back. So, just hang in there and keep us all posted. This is the best sight for getting info everyone has been so wonderful to share their journey. Good Luck!

[leahwebster 0]

Hi. I'm new to this so please bear with me. I'm in the process currently of looking into having lapband surgery. I'm scheduled to attend a seminar on Mary 20. So far all information I find on the web is going to cause me to not be able to fulfill my dream of losing a lot of weight (at least over 100 pounds) due to not having receipts for weight loss programs. Who knew you had to keep receipts for buying products to try to lose weight!? Now what do I do? I'm not a wealthy person so paying fees to gyms and weight loss programs isn't an option I had the luxury of enjoying. I'm 56 and not interested in starting again from scratch after all these years of trying to lose weight with buying things again just to have the receipts now. Did anyone else fall into this rut and what did you do to get past it with the insurance? I have books but no receipts. I can tell you all the foods I purchased over the years but no receipts. My insurance covers the surgery but reading information on the web it all shows that I need proof of all these other weight loss attempts programs. I can't afford all that after all these years. Can someone give me some guidance?! Please!?

Insurance companies dont make it easy do they! I ended up being private pay also. SO I searched everywhere and found a fanominal dr. in Mexico. Dr. Ramos Kelly. He is totally affordable. I am scheduled for my lapband on may 19th. My mom is going to go with me from San Diego! My top weight was 275lbs. I am curently 235lbs, and would like to be 150lbs. Like you I have battled this Giant many years and am so relieved to Finally have some light at the end of the tunnel.

I would like to find a special group online to travel this path together. We can support and challenge eachother to the next level of success! Is anyone out there interested in becoming LAPBAND Buddies? Please email me at leahwebster@msn.com. I hope this helps.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

Insurance companies dont make it easy do they! I ended up being private pay also. SO I searched everywhere and found a fanominal dr. in Mexico. Dr. Ramos Kelly. He is totally affordable. I am scheduled for my lapband on may 19th. My mom is going to go with me from San Diego! My top weight was 275lbs. I am curently 235lbs, and would like to be 150lbs. Like you I have battled this Giant many years and am so relieved to Finally have some light at the end of the tunnel.

I would like to find a special group online to travel this path together. We can support and challenge eachother to the next level of success! Is anyone out there interested in becoming LAPBAND Buddies? Please email me at leahwebster@msn.com. I hope this helps.

Leah, how many IDs do you have here? Wasn't your other ID just suspended for pimping the boards about 2 days ago?