Bethanyblondie

Okay Ladies...do the HAPPY dance with me! I got APPROVED for surgery today! She submitted my stuff on Wednesday and I got the e mail today...so it took a whole day and a half. And to top it off, my husband got offered a wonderful new job this morning that pays better than his current one....so I'm feeling OH so good right now!

They are going to call me on Monday to set a surgery date! mayo Banditos here I come! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!:):sad::tt1:

I have a feeling you aren't getting any response because pretty much most of us know Cigna's requirements for approval inside and out, and proof of your BMI for 2 years is one of their big requirements. I don't really know what to tell you...if your BMI hasn't been high enough you probably will not get approved with Cigna. Do you have any co-morbidities? What is your BMI now?

I have another question...when you guys turned in your stuff to insurance, what kind of detail did you include in terms of your diet and exercise? My doctor just put things like, "continuing to comply with Weight Watchers, low fat diet momentum plan, aerobic exercise 5xweek for 30 minutes, recommend to add weight lifting...," that kind of stuff. I am a little panicked (now that I have submitted my stuff of course), that that wasn't detailed enough. I don't know...maybe I'm just fretting over nothing. What do you guys think? How did your doctor document that stuff?

Ohhh, that's good advice...I will do that!

Congratulations on your approval! I bet it feels great to have a surgery date set! My paperwork has just been sent in to Cigna today and i was told to not expect any news for about ten business days. I'm so anxious to found out if I'll be approved! The waiting game is hard!:sneaky:

The "precertification specialist" left me a message today that she received my file and sent in my request for surgery to Cigna! She said she'll call me as soon as she hears anything, but that she doesn't expect to hear anything for about 10 business days. So hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll know if I'm approved and I can get my May date! YAAAAYYYY!

I'm so glad you guys all have surgery dates. Amy, I bet you are over the moon right now! Hope I'll be joining you soon!

I do think insurance companies will do whatever it takes to make us give up....that way they don't have to shell out any money! Just keep fighting the fight...the more I talk to people on this forum the more I realize if you are persistent like no other with these insurance people that you will get approved! Sorry it's been such a hassle. I just submitted my paperwork and have now started the fun waiting game. I "checkmarked" every thing off the requirement list for my insurance, but am just waiting for them to find some tiny little thing to deny me for. But I'm not giving up! Good luck to you guys!

That's so exciting! I will probably start calling about Friday to see if my stuff has been submitted. I have no idea how long it should take my surgeon to write his letter for me, but the insurance coordinator said last night she'd have him do it ASAP, since I told her I really need to schedule surgery in May. I can't imagine that they wouldn't be able to get that done by Wednesday or Thursday...and then I assume they fax everything to Cigna? This waiting game is tough!:wub:

So inspiring.

Wow...that's shocking. What is your doctor's reasoning for keeping your records from you? I went to my doctor's office and requested my weight checks and she printed them for me on the spot, no questions asked, didn't even have to check with my doctor. They are YOUR records, for YOUR health issues. That makes NO sense that your doctor would keep them from you for your benefit. I agree with the other posts, that you should threaten speaking with an advocate. That might light a fire under their booties. Let us know what happens.

Okay, i talked to the insurance coordinator and told her I really need to get approved so I can get surgery in May. She e mailed me and said she would submit my papers ASAP. I told her with my school year coming to an end in June, and there being massive budget cuts next year, that I was concerned that my insurance policy would change in terms of bariatric surgery at that point. Hopefully that will make things happen in the next few weeks. I WILL get my May surgery date!

Don't freak out too much yet...sometimes you get a copy of the bill that has been sent to insurance. I got a copy of the bill for my epidural when I had my daughter a couple of years ago and I panicked because it was for $1500. They aren't always marked very clearly that it is the bill that has been sent to insurance. Don't pay anything right now. If you owe them more than your co-pay wait until you receive another bill. But don't pay anything now!

I agree...the six months gives you time to reflect and prepare. Trust me, I think most of us go to that first seminar and get PUMPED to get the Lap Band and want it immediately. I feel like I have had time to really learn about what to expect from the band, what real expectations to have, and how to prepare for your life to change.

I just turned in my paperwork to the insurance coordinator on Thursday, and I'm DYING to know when she submits it so I can just know my insurance has it to look at. And so I can start calling them to bug them to approve me...

I got very patient during the six month diet phase, but now that I am done with that I am PUMPED again! Trust me...if you are meant to do this and be dedicated to it, the motivation and excitement level will NOT wane one bit!

Thanks for info! I can't imagine that I won't get approved...I "checkmarked" everything off the Cigna list for approval, and I organized my packet of stuff so it's very easy to find everything (I highlighted my weights and put post-its on it on where to find specific info). I have no co-morbidities, but I've had a BMI of about 42 or a little more for over two years, and I had the medical records to prove it. SOOO...they better not deny me!

I will start calling them this week for sure! I WANT my May date!!! The sqweaky wheel gets the grease, right?:thumbdown:

Congratulations on getting approved! I hope my surgeon's insurance coordinator will be quick in getting my stuff submitted. I wanna get this thing GOING!

Amy - all of my family lives in Texas...I was born there and lived there until i was five and then my family moved to Colorado Springs. But I've got family in Ft. Worth/Dallas, Lubbock, Midland, and a few other places.

I'll be keeping in touch with you guys to let you know when I get approved (because I refuse to believe anything else will happen!). Just think "May. May. May. May!"

Thanks Amy! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders getting all that stuff turned in. I hope the insurance coordinator will be prompt in submitting my paperwork! I asked her to let me know when she sends it in, so I can do the countdown (and call Cigna and bug them to approve me quickly!

Hopefully I'll be right behind you gals with my surgery date!

My psychologist just let me talk about things...she did not ask me any specific questions right away. But I chose to go to therapy during my six months of supervised dieting, because I figured it could help me better prepare for the road ahead. A few weeks ago when I finished my six months of dieting I told her I felt i was ready to stop therapy for a while. I thought she'd protest, but she was completely supportive and wrote me a wonderful recommendation letter. It was not a scary process at all, whether you go for one visit or several.

I have Cigna insurance and sounds like our requirements are exactly the same. I just turned in my paperwork to the insurance coordinator today, and I definitely got nervous looking at a few of my weight checks. I would think...did we put in enough detail? Did we say the right things? What happens if I get denied over something little that I somehow overlooked?

We did record my weight, BMI, and discussed my diet program and exercise each time. Sometimes she just wrote down things like, "Complying with Weight Watchers Momentum program, exercising 5xweekx30 minutes, recommend adding weight training. Still having trouble keeping portion sizes down."

I can't imagine what else she would have had to write without writing a book every time. I hope it's enough. I'm sure there is a way to fix the problem if they think it's not enough documentation, maybe turn in your food and exercise logs if they need more proof or something. Sagebrush, please let us know what happens with your situation!

Okay, Ladies...I turned in all my paperwork to the surgeon's office this afternoon...so now it's the waiting game! I tried to be extremely organized and thorough in putting together all my stuff...I just want to make sure Cigna can see I have everything! I practically made a little book with an index and highlighted the info they want to know! Overkill, maybe? Better than forgetting something, I suppose!

Soooo...I think I might be hopping on that May Lap Bandwagon with you! Yaaaaaaaayyyyy! Oh, and today is my 28th birthday...so turning in my stuff today was my birthday present to me!:sad::)

As far as I know Deborah Voight did not have to go through retraining like that after her bypass. She says she has to pay a little bit more attention to her techniques at times, but that the weight loss has greatly helped her breathing and stamina. She said she had no negative effects on her voice from the bypass.

I wouldn't worry about it. You'll adjust your technique as you lost the weight, if you even need to. I think losing the weight will be far more important in the long run, don't you?

Man...if I could get banded in May I would be SOOO happy! I did NOT hear back from the medical records lady at my doctor's office...as I feared...and she is out on Wednesdays. But guaranteed Thursday morning I will be going to the office and hunting her down in person! I just need my freakin' weight checks! How hard is that!!!???

I called and left my doc a message today about getting a recommendation letter just to be safe. I wonder...when I originally went to her in May 2008 for a physical and to ask about the lapband, she DID refer me to a surgeon to talk to...does that mean she "recommends" me for surgery since she gave me a referral? Hmmmm....

I had this issue with Slim4Life, which is a very similar company to L.A. Weight Loss. I had put my program on hold (I'd been going for over a year) because I got pregnant. I called them last year when I decided to get the lapband so that I wouldn't have to go through six months of dieting, but they had none of my records. I called corporate and they had DESTROYED my records and couldn't do anything about it. They claim they do that so your personal information won't be lying around. So I had to go through six months of supervised dieting with my doctor, which I just finished. Now I'm just gathering up the last of my paperwork to submit to insurance.

Soooo...I had no luck getting my past weight loss records...hope you can do better than I did!

Thanks everyone, for all of your help/advice. I had been told that Cigna is basically the hardest insurance to get approved through. But my two choices of insurance through work were Cigna or Kaiser...and I knew Kaiser would be worse!

I am going to put ALL the documentation I know is required by Cigna into what I submit to the insurance coordinator...and I will INSIST she send it all in. I hadn't heard about Cigna needing a recommendation letter from your PCP for approval...back in January when I talked to the coordinator she said that Cigna didn't want letters like that. Don't you love how you get a thousand different stories?

Oh well...I was prepared to battle for this if need be...let the battle begin! BRING it Cigna!

Well...I've done it! I'm finished with my six months of supervised weight loss (lost like, a whole 8 pounds..woohoo). I worked my booty off this year gathering up all the information I thought Cigna needs to approve my surgery. As far as I know, I've "checkmarked" their list off and I've got/done everything they require. I have no co-morbidities, but my BMI is over 40, so I'm not really worried about that.

My question is, I just called the lady at my surgeon's office who submits the insurance stuff, and all she wants from me are my six weight checks from the doctor and my psych evaluation. I spent $50 to get my medical records from Kaiser so I'd have proof of my weight from two years ago, and she didn't even ask for that. I know she's done this a million times...I just found it odd that Cigna's website shows ALL these things you have to have and she only asked for a couple of them.

Have any of you recently been approved through Cigna? What kind of experience did you have? Do I just need to have that other stuff around "in case" they ask for it? Any responses would be appreciated!:welldoneclap: