Nancy6015

I had surgery on January 6th. I am 62 and have fought this fight for over 50 years.

I started by calling my insurance carrier Blue Cross/Blue Sheild of Michigan (BCBSM). I was told I should start by getting 6 months of documented weightloss attempts. I went to my PCP in April and she started the documentation.

In September, 2009 I again called BCBSM and was told that the 6 months of documentation was no longer required, just a letter from the doctor! September 1st my husband and I went to a seminar at the University of Michigan Bariatric Center. I chose U of M because my cardiologist and PCP are on staff and they utilize a wonderful system, CareWeb, so everyone has access to my medical records.

BCBSM may have relaxed their criteria, but to qualify for the surgery U of M required a physical, a psyc evaluation, 6 months of weightloss documentation, a recommendation letter from my PCP. Also, because I had a heart attack in July 2008 I needed a recommendation letter from my cardiologist and in order to get that, I had to have an ultrsound and a stress test. I had to attend at least 2 support group sessions, meet with a nutriutionist, and start a vitamin D Rx after my blood work up revealed a deficiency ...I've been told that everyone is Michigan has a vitamin D deficiency!

The request to approve my surgery was approved in 3 days.