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Received a call from my primary care doctor's office yesterday. Dr. M has completed my referral letter for gastric surgery and faxed it to the hospital. Hope I hear back soon Still waiting to hear anything about Medicare paying for the procedure. I'll know & learn more when I get my first counseling at the hospital.

I might consider having the procedure done out-of-state, but I'm hoping to have mine done at Swedish in Seattle. Primary care doctor just faxed her referral letter today, so hopefully I'll hear from them soon.

@MariNYC. Hang in there and keep your chin up. I share your frustration. I cannot understand why/how Medicare will not approve sleeve surgery, but they approve a much more complicated one: Rou-en-Y (?). Much more complicated surgery and one that forces individuals to consume multi-vitamins & supplements the rest of their lives because the surgery by-passes at least half of the digestive system. I might consider Lap-Band as my Plan-B, but I'm still focused on the Vertical Sleeve surgery. Don't like the fact that a foreign object is being place in the body. I received a call from Swedish Hospital here in Seattle, WA informing me that my weight loss surgery had been approved. I'm waiting for my primary care doctor to forward a referral letter, then I'll seen what happens from there. In the meantime, don't give up. Journal. Put your thoughts down in a notebook (I'm keeping my thoughts/notes on a steno pad). After you've entered your thoughts/input, leave them there...in the notebook. Don't carry around all that 'stuff'. Keep this thought in mind, the Lord is always watching over you. God bless.

Anjelika, I'm from Hawaii. Originally from Hanalei, Kauai, but raised in Kihei, Maui most of my young life. I've been WA for 30+ years now. If you or your husband is in the military, won't they pay for weight loss surgery? Wish me luck on my journey, which continues...

I just wish Medicare would treat every state the same wth respect to sleeve surgery. Why is it approved in some states & even recommended by doctors, yet in other states the only procedures recognized are the Lap-Band or Rou-en-y? However you spell it!

Thank you so much 'Reaching for the Stars' for your feedback & information. I just posted a reply to Cherry bomb who indicated Medicare paid for her vertical sleeve surgery. I think she's in Florida, but I could be wrong. In any event, why does Medicare approve sleeve surgery in one state, but not another? Makes no sense at all. The last thing I read was that Medicare was to make a ruling on the procedure by the end of March-2012. So, I'm holding my breath, but in the meantime, I'm dong all the preliminary stuff. The journey continues...

Hi @Cherry bomb & thanks for the feedback. I wish Medicare/Medicare would get there stuff together in every state. Here in WA I'm being told that Medicare won't pay for vertical sleeve surgery, but will pay for the others. Apparently, vertical sleeve surgery is a relatively new medical procedure with not enough facts & findings...yet. I've asked my primary care physician to forward a referral letter for me & now I have to come up with a million records of past weight loss attempts. I have no records to speak of other than memory of trying one failed diet pan after another for the past 20-30 years. So, wish me luck. At least (on the positive side) it's a start. I plan on volunteering myself as a case study for the vertical sleeve procedure if it's data they want. I've studied the other choices & I've come to he conclusion that the vertical sleeve is the way to go. I'll keep everyone informed as to my progress.

I just found this group/link, kinda by accident while browsing thru the website. Hello to everyone in WA. Thought for a while I was the only one in the state that was looking to do weight loss surgery. I was notified by Swedish Hospital that Medicare had given their initial approval for funding my surgery. The only thing is, I want the Gastric Sleeve and they haven't yet approved this method. Thinking of going with the Lap-Band. Not sold at all on the "Y" surgery as it seems to be the most invasive. I need some hints (help). Swedish says that Medicare wants information as to attempts at previous weight loss diets/procedures, etc. Even though I've attempted many, I don't have records and dates completely fail me. In the meanwhile, I've contacted my Primary Care Physician and asked her for a letter of referral. I would really appreciate any hints or ideas as to how to document prior diets. Thanks.

Thanks Kathy & good luck on your journey. I spoke with Aetna Ins. today & was told that if Medicare doesn't accept a particular surgery, then neither will they. So, now I'm down to plan B: either Rhoen-Y or Lap-band. No gastric sleeve. Leaning towards the band. I'll post what happens in the next few days/weeks.

Me too! All this Medicare/Aetna insurance stuff is enough to drive one crazy. They speak in languages only they understand.

Thanks @Anjelika for the feedback. I read a post earlier that said gastric sleeve was in the process of review & that as of the end of March (2012) it looked like they were going to finally approve it (by June-2012). Starting all my preparation & investigation now so hopefully Medicare will approve by the time I'm ready for surgery.

Just checked with Aetna Insurance (my supplemental medical insurance) and they said they cover weight loss surgery. Kind of ambiguous about whether or not the Gastric Sleeve is covered, but I've signed up for a couple of seminars so I'll ask the experts. My primary care doctor said that she thought weight loss surgery would be an excellent step for me.

I've signed up for a 'Protein Tasting Party' to be put on by the Pacific Nutrition & Wellness Co. this coming Tuesday here in the Seattle area. Perhaps there are organizations in your respective areas doing the same. Then you can get taste samples of the protein products out there. FYI.

I'm by far not a computer genious, but I found that taking a photo with my cell phone then posting to my computer (desktop) is the simplest way to be able to download & forward pictures. Hope that helps. I've got to do the same.

Does anyone in the "Sixties Groupt" know if Medicare covers Vertical Sleeve surgery? I'm 65 and just now beginning to look into doing the surgery. I've been checking out all the various web sites and trying to get as much info as I can. I have a doctor's appointment this coming Monday (04/23/2012) and plan on starting the ball rolling by asking my primary care doctor about the process. Good luck to those going in for surgery.

Congratulation on your journey forward. I'm still in the 'investigation mode' examining every bit of info I can get a hold of. Of course the first step is determining if Medicare will pay for gastric sleeve surgery. Please keep us informed of your progress.

I too was wondering if Medicare covers costs for sleeve surgery. I also have Aetna insurance as a supplemental. Does that matter?

Not certain if I'm askinging this question in the right forum, but haven't seen it posted elsewhere. Is anyone familiar with Medicare covering VSG? I also have Aetna insurance as a supplement.How do the finances work out? Thanks.

Hello to all & best of luck on upcoming surgeries. I'm new to this web site & new to the world of weight loss surgery. I'm still investigating all procedures & which one I feel will be the best for me. So far I'm leaning towards "sleeve" surgery. I've been burning up the internet searching for any & all information pertaining to weight loss surgery, pre & post-op diets, best doctors in the area, etc. I currently weigh 296-lbs. & am looking to get to my old fighting weight (figuratively speaking).