TracyinKS

I'm filling out my paper work right now getting ready for my appointment tomorrow morning.... and I am adding the Co-morbiity of PCOS and Skin Tags... seems I read somewhere that there are a bunch of unsung comorbitities that qualify.....

I agree with Alexandra! remember Ports are used in other cases... (my grandma had one to distribute pain medication to her back) and I'm sure there are all kinds of other uses in the medical field... CODING IS KEY

Blue Cross Blue Shield as a company has a written exclusion, BUT.. talk to your HR/Benefits person and as for the SPD (Plan Document) if they don't know what your talking about ask them to go to Corporate, and find out if WLS is covered. Our company is switching to BCBS in 2007, and after a chance conversation with our head hauncho.. I found out that we have a PROVISION for WLS, which over-rides BCBS exclusion policy.

The place I am going has a "deal" with Capitol One, it is a "cosmetic" loan, I haven't gotten a bid on it yet because I'm crossing my fingers for Insurance.

Thanks everyone... I actually have a dr. appointment tomorrow, they said they will verify insurance and tell me how much I will be expected to pay. oh.. and YES... I've been doing lots of reading and research! This place is great!:biggrin1:

Hiya .... I am in the same boat.. I have only told my mom that I'm thinking about it... she will bug me about it, but has admitted that she has thought about it herself before she retires. I have not told any co-workers and ESPECIALLY MY BOSS!!! We are in adjoining offices and he would be bugging me all day everyday about it.... I will use a week of PTO time and he will never know... my significant other... might as well be my dh, but we are not married.. so what do I call him... ANYWAY when I met him 2 years ago, I had just lost 80 lbs on Low Carb and I was in 12's..... now I'm back up to 20-22's and he makes fun of me everytime I try to get back on the LC wagon... (long story) ANYWAY.. I FEEL YOUR PAIN...... I will not tell him what I'm doing until I have the insurance approved and a date set... I really think that the band will be the tool to help me maintain a loss...... I applaud you for doing this alone! and KEEP US POSTED

Hey FutureBeauty: I am in the KC area and just talked to someone from her office yesterday. How did you like her and the facility? Did you self pay or did you go through insurance? How long before you got through the entire process?

The big thing to remember with insurance is that it is YOUR company that tells them what to insure and what NOT to insure.... (I'm a benefits person for my company) We are switching to BCBS in 2007, and I had to go to their Columbia office last summer for "train the trainer" type meetings. It was there that I got into a conversation with our head hauncho benefits guy from OUR corp office. He told me that even though BCBS has a written EXCLUSION to NOT cover WLS, WE have an exception in our SPD (Plan Document)... this was big news to me, because we don't cover things like birth control, tube tying, or ANYTHING dealing with infertility.... I'm going to have to jump through hoops, BUT I should be able to get the approval..... I just don't know at what coverage level... 90%, 80% or 60% Contact your BENEFITS person in HR... and if they don't know ask them for a copy of your insurance S.P.D. or ask them to follow up with corporate.... the insurance company is going to be quick to say no, because that is their job.

GOOD LUCK! I just start my process of insurance approval land tomorrow

I finally got the nerve up to call back the people from the WLSC... I had signed up for a seminar, taken an online survey, and asked for more info.. several times, but always chickened out when they called me..... Well yesterday I called them back and tomorrow I have a consult appointment, they faxed a boatload of paperwork to me to fill out and have ready. I will then have the road to insurance approval. Even if I don't have insurance approval, they offer a self pay price of 17,500 for EVERYTHING including the consult and a year of unlimited fills......... I am nervous about having foreign objects in my body, but I don't want to go the gastric bypass route. I have 2 close friends that went that route and both have done wonderful, but I know it is not for me...... They both say it is the best thing they ever did.... one is about 4 years post op and the other one is 2 years post op.. both started out well over 300lbs and both lost well over 100 lbs....... Anyway.. I just wanted to post an intro, and thank everyone for all the info.:girl_hug: I hope to be a bandster in 2007! Tracy 263.8/263.8/149;)

thanks for all the posts.... I have my first consult on Wednesday, and I'm trying to read up on eVERYTHING!

thanks wheets! Yes my questions were subjective kind of like talking to myself in an empty office.. (boss is gone today) LOL I've been doing some research and I did find a list of KS doctors on OH... The "better" half is going to be a problem.. he says he's supportive, but really he is not... that is another issue all together... anyway... thanks for all the answers, and congrats on your sucess....

I am in the KC area... in the research phase... I am also in HR for my company and I full well know that this is NOT included in our policy...simply because I work for a catholic organization and things like birth control are not even covered let alone elective wls...... it really stinks.... don't fight with HR! Its not their fault, it is the governing entity.. corporate benefit administration committee's

I live in Leavenworth KS... (KC METRO) what is my first step... whos the best local doctor? Where do I find the nearest seminar? How much do I have to pay (cash payer)? How much are fills locally? How long will I need to be off work post op? How do I tell my better half that I am thinking of having the lap band? HELP:help:

thanks to everyone who posted on this thread.. and especially to HEATHERgurl for the pics! I will have to do an intro... but the quickie is that I've lost the same 80 pounds 4 times in my adult life and have trouble keeping it off... this time last year I was in size 12's and some 10's... now I'm sucking in my gut for 20's AGAIN, and I'm disgusted.... I need a tool to help me keep the eating under control....... thanks AGAIN!

Oh lord this rings so true for me.. my son will be 3 in august, he is potty trained (thank goodness) but his latest thing is that his "pee pee" is big... it is so hard not to laugh, when he wakes up in the morning and he pushes on it and tells me to "Look momma my pee pee is bigger!" I have to constantly tell him to leave it alone, the other day, while strapping him into his car seat, he started hitting it, and I said "WHAT are you DOING?" he just said ... "I'm bouncing my pee pee" I said well stop! He said Why mom, its fun!!!!!!!!!! OH LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!