jbrad71629

Federal BCBS pays 90% on lap band from ppo doctors. $250 deductible applies. Will not give a preapproval without a fight but they have been very good otherwise.

Pamela I am on the Sugar Busters diet I never realized how much I take in as far as white flour and sugar. Now I know why i am fat! I am getting very excited in exactlythree weeks i will be banded, I can not wait!!!! How are you doing? are you all healed up yet? Take care and keep in touch.

Renewedhope You are in my prayers tonight. Please keep us up to date on your progress. I am so excited for you and can't wait for my turn, only 22 more days!! Take care and remember to get plenty of rest so that you can heal.

Pamela My date is November 16th. I am so excited! Thank you so much for all of your support and help. I cant wait to get to share our success. Tak care.

Same thing but BCBS federal calls it "prior" instead of "pre" if you say pre it does not compute to them..lol

My secrets 1. I LOVE my husband. we were married as teenagers and he has never let me down. He still tells me i am beauttiful several times a day 2. My daughters are the two most beautiful girls in the world and I cry everytime i think about how lucky i am to have them 3. i have a 2 ct diamond that i tell people is fake so that they won't think i am spoiled, even though i am. 4. My chiuahua sleeps with me every night if not i go and find her because i can't sleep without her 5. I love to read all of your posts even though i don't post much and feel like i have been truly blesed to find you all here at LBT

Sghatl Prior approval is when the insurance company does a review of your criteria and sends a letter to the Surgeon to tell him you are covered for your surgery and that they are going to pay for it. I was stressing because I have done everything but have the surgery and suddenly BCBS decided to be difficult but that is all over now and I can be excited!!!!! My surgery is November 16th and I can not wait!

I finally got my prior approval, thank you all for yourhelp and support. Now i can get excited....

I got it!!!!!!! I am so excited, my surgery is scheduled for 11/16/07. Thank you so much fo your help.

Thank you for the info. I have piched such a fit with BCBS that I think they are going to give me my prior approval, just to shut me up... I would hate to swap surgeons as the one I have chosn is by far the most experienced in our area.

Pamela I have a bmi of 40, high blood pressure (136/104 at my last dr visit) and severe arthritis in my back and hips. Dr B is trying his hardest I only have good things to say about him and his staff, but I hate Federal BCBS at this point. No on can explain why they are giving me a hard time and they have not done it to any other patient they have handled. Jus tmy luck like I needed one more thing to raise my blood pressure

Pamela i have no idea why i am getting the run around from BCBS but I am sick of them. The guy from Bcbs i talked to yesterday even had the nerve to ask me if I had ever tried to diet and then when I ent off on him advised me that bcbs would cover my psychological evaluation. Dr B is trying to get it straightened out for me his office has been wonderful.

Could any of yall that have federal BCBS tell me how you got your pre approval??? They are telling me to go ahead with the surgey and then they will review it for medical necessity. Of course my dr won't do anything until we have the approval from them because he wants to be assured he will get paid. Any help is greatly appreciated.

:help:Hi all I have fderal bc/bs and am trying diligently to get them to pre approve my lap band surgery. They keep telling me to have the surgery and then they will review it for medical necessity. Has anyone else had luck getting them to pre approve this? My surgeon will not do the surgery without it, which I can understand that he can't take the risk of not getting paid. Pleas help me if you have had experience with this, as I am at my wits end.

Pamela i am a carrier in Albany at the main office. I love it. It really is a small world isnt it? I am so glad to have found you on here.

It is so good to meet people that have used Dr Bagnato. He seem really good from what I have heard. I am waiting for my insurance to give my preapproval and then I can really get excited about the surgery. I know I qualify and it is just a formality but I want to know all bases are covered before I get excited. How do yall that used Dr B like the port being on your upper chest? I worry that may be irritating when I return to work, I am a mail carrier and do alot of pulling with my left arm. Have yall had any negative experience with itbeing there? Again it is so great to have people to ask these questions!! Thank yall so much!

<p>HI all!</p> <p> I am going to be banded on the 16th of November in Albany Ga by Dr Bagnato. I have been reading alot of your messages on here and it makes me feel so much better about my decision. Good luck to everyone. Take care.</p>

I had my appointment with Dr Bagnato today and all my paperwork has been sent to the insurance company. I even went ahead and set up my surgery date 11/16/07. I was so excited that I forgot half of my questions for him, nut I will have another visit before my surgery so it is no big loss.

Pamela Thank you for the encouragement and I will keep writing to let you know my progress. Right now I am 273 lbs I just decided that i had to do somehing or else all the health problems that are cropping up are going to kill me. How is your recovery going? Are you all healed? Where did you have him put your port? I am sorry for all of the questions but I am just so excited i could pop. I have an appointment with Dr Bagnato monday, hopefully by then I will have calmed down and he will not think I am a nut.... Take care jeannie

Hi klpdbl, I am also in Albany and have just started the process with Dr bagnato. I am so glad you are happy with him. How long did it take from the time you started to finish all of your presurgery visits? I ask because I have a time frame that I am shootingfor but don't know if it is reasonable.. It looks like you weight loss is going great!

:whoo:I can only dream of a day when I will have a bony chest. I never even considered the possibility of it sticking out I was thinking more along the lines of comfort and ease of fill. Keep your fingers crossed that one day i will be able to complain that my port is showing because my chest has gotten bony!!!

:help:Hi all. I am a newbie looking to have surgery soon. My surgeon has developed a different port placement instead of tacking it on the stomach muscles he can put it on the upper chest just under the collar bone. I was wondering if anyone else has had this placement and if so their results. It is supposed to make fills easier. Look forward to hearing from all of you. Thanks Jeannie