TAH77

Freebird-- Thanks for the information. From reading a lot of these posts, I gathered that you don't always get the truth from Cigna. In my case, I could lose around 15-20 pounds in the next 6 months and still qualify for the surgery. Although I do have hypertension as well, so I'm guessing I'd still qualify if I slipped below 40. I'm just trying to error on the side of caution I guess and make sure that I'm eligible.

A representative with Cigna informed me that if you drop below a BMI of 40, then they would not cover the surgery because you would not qualify. Is this the truth? Who knows! I'm right at 41 and with 6 months of diet and exercise could probably drop below 40. That being said, I'm conflicted with the diet thing. On one hand, I know I could take some weight off and feel guilty if I don't try. On the other hand, I've been overweight most of my life, despite sports and exercise, so my history of keeping the weight off is poor. I feel like the lapband is what I need for the long haul.

I just learned something interesting from Cigna. Your BMI must be over 40 after the 6 month nutritional waiting period to be considered for lap band surgery. Their representative told me that you must fail in order for the surgery to be covered. I looked into this because I'm just starting the process and my BMI is right at 41.