Do yourself a favor and get your insurance company to send you a copy of the documentation that spells out what their requirements are. I have been looking into this surgery for a while and while my insurance was Great West they sent me a copy of their requirements, when Cigna bough them out I called and got the same from them. I called customer service, gave them the corresponding insurance codes and they assigned me a caseworker (which is a RN). This person will be the person that will send this information out.
As far as the 6 month requirement goes, my understanding (from speaking with that RN) is that, in basic terms, I need a monthly doctors visit and a monthly weight watchers meeting. My Doc is super cool and knows that I just need to come in "Because" and is very helpful. They don't actually expect you to drop 100 pounds in 6 months. They just want to see how committed you are. I went over the requirements with the RN very thoroughly and she told me "We DO approve these - ALL the time, you just have to do the 6 months of paperwork." This was very reassuring to me.
I've got my 6 months worth of Doctors visits booked. Just need to force myself to a Weight Watchers meeting. I plan on going, registering, getting weighed and leaving. Screw sitting through that meeting!!:eek: