tonyisstillhere

just got approved through UHC! surgery is scheduled for 12/16 with Dr. Keith Wright in San Antonio, TX! i'm looking to lose about 100 pounds and pre-op diet i've lost 10. i hate low carb!

I just wanted to share my story for all Wells Fargo people out there that may be struggling with approval or may not know the process. I made a few mistakes along the way, so hopefully you can read this and learn from it. I started in November by going to the True Results (AIGB) location in Austin, TX last November. At this time, I was on Wells Fargo's Cigna Health Plan and was at aproximately 37 BMI. True Results did an introduction and the usual first step things and scheduled me for a sleep study to determine whether I had sleep apnea or not because under Cigna and most plans, you have to have 2 co-morbidities if you are between 35-40 BMI. It was determined that I had "mild" sleep apnea (which basically means they were interpreting the data in my favor to get me the surgery). After 2 sleep studies and multiple attempts to gather the necessary information through True Results, my case was dead in the Water. True Results, though helpful, were unable to help me move forward and so I dropped the issue for many months, feeling hopeless and helpless about my situation. After reviewing the different health plans the company offered, I switched to the Wells Fargo Health Plan (United Health Care Choice Plus Plan) because it seemed like much better coverage. In August of 2008, after gaining more weight and being close to 40 BMI I decided to seek help again. This time, I came to this website and searched for Wells Fargo, United Healthcare and everything else I could think of that could give me answers on how to proceed. I posted questions asking for help and was lucky enough to get a response from a fellow Wells Fargo Team Member who told me all she did was call the health care company and they started the process for her and helped her through every step of the way to approval. I took her advice and started back at square one. I signed up for myuhc.com, which gave me online access to my medical history and to all the United Healthcare Resource Networks (urnweb.com). From there, I submitted a request for information and for a phone call from a bariatric patient advocate. From that moment on, the process was smooth. Not always simple, but I had a United Healthcare representative personally working with me the whole time to help with the what she needed to issue an approval. If you work for Wells Fargo and want Bariatric Surgery, GET THE WELLS FARGO HEALTH PLAN (UNITED HEALTH CARE). It is the most expensive plan they offer, but it's worth it for the way you are treated and taken care of. Follow these steps and you'll be fine! 1) sign up for myuhc.com. request access to urnweb.com and visit the obesity section. review the "united healthcare centers of excellence" link. UHC requires you to use one of their "centers of excellence". these places have the lowest rates of problems with surgery and have undergone rigorous review to achieve this rating. united resource networks is also called "Optum Health". 2) submit an online request through urnweb.com to be contacted by a patient advocate. it took about 2 weeks for me to get the call. my advocates name was faith, and she was incredibly helpful. 3) the patient advocate will help you choose a center of excellence. they'll have you go to one of the orientations, where you'll meet the surgeons and staff and have all your questions answered. 4) you'll then be working in conjunction with the surgeons office and your patient advocate with UHC to get all the necessary documentation in place for an approval. a few things to expect: -a psychological evaluation (your advocate will help schedule this). my out of pocket expense for this was $80. -an appointment with a nutritionist. my out of pocket expense for this was $150 and it was a requirement of the surgeon, not UHC. -you may be getting phone calls from several different parties through the process. everyone who called me was super helpful and friendly. i hope this is helpful for someone out there. i'm happy to say that i've just recieved approval and have surgery scheduled for 12/16/08 with Dr. Keith Wright of South Texas Surgeons in San Antonio, TX.

i don't know how long it takes unfortunately because i haven't even tried submitting without the required information. My family has horrible health history: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, thyroid issues. I'm told by TrueResults that they don't care about family issues or history. I wonder if I had my doctor write something up as well if that might change things...

well UHC requires people with BMI between 35 and 39 to have 2 co-morbid conditions. fortunately for my health, weight is my only real problem. unfortunately for having the surgery covered that means i have no other co morbitity. blood pressure is good, no diabetes, heart disease, or anything else they consider. i did the sleep apnea tests and came back with very mild, but not enough to consider anything serious. i'm kind of back at square one, not able to self pay and fairly convinced that my insurance will not cover.

i work for wells fargo in austin, tx. i have been researching options for insurance and am fairly convinced that the "wells fargo health plan" is the way to go. it is the united health care choice plus plan, and as far as i can tell, it is the most lenient on WLS. depending on your BMI you may qualify more easily through cigna or BCBS, but i don't meet the 40 BMI criteria for cigna, so i've switched to UHC during open enrollment. definitely use HR WELLS as a resource, they have always been knowledgable and friendly to me. hope that helps!<br /> <br /> by the way, what do you do? i'm an assistant store manager.

i just got back from my first consultation with the surgeons office and alot of questions were answered... feeling much better about moving forward. all the staff was very confident in the fact that UHC was the way to, over at least cigna. they had nothing good to say about Aetna either. i am having a sleep study done to see if sleep apnea is an issue, which if it is (i don't have any idea) then i will be approved with no problem. if i have no other co morbidities there could be a roadblock. thanks for your stories, i'm learning alot.

ood luck with everything and thanks for your input!

hi, i am in the beginning stages of my research for the band and have a consultation scheduled for tomorrow. i've read alot about the self-pay people but haven't heard many insurance stories. i am on cigna right now, and they require a BMI of 40 or greater or 35 with medical conditions. i am at 38 BMI with no documented medical conditions and i am hoping not to have any. i am also at our open enrollment period for my work benefits and have considered switching to united health care, which according to the representative i spoke with only requires 35 bmi and no other stipulations. is that too good to be true? it's a much more expensive program to be on, but it would totally be worth it if i could be covered. they say it will be 90% in network surgeons and 70% out of network. does anyone have any insurance stories? successful or otherwise? what can i expect? i am looking to have the surgery as soon as possible, anyone have an idea on timeline? any input is greatly appreciated!

i'm 27 years old and feel like i've come to a decision about my life. i've determined that after 20+ years of being overweight, mostly obese, that i never want to be this way again. all past diets and programs have been moderately successful, but the results are never lasting. i lost 10-15 pounds on weight watchers, but gained it all back plus 40. in college i shed 40 pounds and got myself to a much healthier 170 pounds (felt great), but gained it steadily back over 5 years or so. i find myself at the heaviest i've ever been (260 pounds, 38 BMI) and ready to make a lasting change. my wife has alot of concerns, citing complications with surgery and the permanence of change. she has never been more than 10 - 20 pounds overweight (she is now the heaviest she has been too). i feel that someone who has not lived their life as an obese person cannot truly grasp the humiliation of not being able to fit into the clothes you bought the week before, spending money on silly OTC remedies like "hot rox" or whatever the fat burner pill du jour is, or tearing through a huge plate of food and still being hungry. she is being as supportive as possible, and i know she wants me to be as thin and healthy as i want to be, but she keeps saying that i could accomplish the same thing with diet and exercise. i look at the success that people have with this and can think only of the good things... the way you'll feel after your first 20 pounds, hitting the halfway mark, fitting into old clothes you never thought you could again. am i romanticizing it? i could lose 100 pounds and be at a healthy 160 for my 5'9" stature. i can't even imagine what my life might be like. just some thoughts... has anyone's relationship suffered complications from this decision and/or the results from it? what are your stories? after the initial discomfort, is your life restricted in any ways other than food and beverage intake? i am also a vegatarian and am concerned about how that plays in... any other vegetarians on here? i would imagine i am a rare case of an obese vegetarian... thanks so much for whatever opinions you bring.