HI everyone

Well I just found out the other day, effective Jan 01, 2006 The co-pay for the surgery will be 5,000.00. Right now it is 250.00...I still need the 6 month weight loss attempt documentation. My case worker seems to want to help and replyed to my e-mail when asked if the atkins diet was ok to list..the reponse was:

Hello again, any diet followed, along with regular vs and documentation of your results by whoever is following you on this should suffice. And yes…..they would be looking for 6 consecutive months of documentation on wt. loss efforts…….

So Hopefully I can get the doc to fill out paperwork on monday so I can fax them

Any comments ????

Hey Joe,

Just checking in, Did you have any luck with your doctor?

FYI- I got approved and have a date for 12/13/05.

Great. Boy you got that done quick.

Congrats to JOE

Congratulations Joe!!!

Will all insurance companies charge $5,000?

Anyone have any info on aetna. Is it hard to be approved by them?

Anyone out there waiting to be approved by GHI in New York? Do you know what the copay is? How soon after approval do they usually book the surgery?

Hi Joe, I just got the same response from my insurance company. My question to you is what type of 6month documentation did you use? Where you already under some type of care from your doctor? I want to make sure I submit exactly what they are requesting.

Thanks, Steph

Congratulations. The date will be here before you know it. Good luck!

I had to have copies for each visit to my Dr. showing weight and chart notes for at least six months prior to approval. Some Dr. prescribe weightwatchers, some zone,some atkins etc. I also provided reciepts (Just for added push) of the same months that I went to Curves. Some insurances are real sticklers. I had Great West.(Health One Plus).

I was approved! I gathered all of my attempts and had my PCP call them in for approval, they gave her the authorization number right on the phone! I am so excited!!! I go Monday to have the upper GI series and such done at the hospital and I see the surgeon on the 6th of January! Thanks so much for all your replies and I will keep you posted.

Stephanie

Congrats Stephanie

If you are on a diet and losing weight, please dont stop.. That almost held me back because I started to gain weight again and the surgeon recomended I lose 19 lbs for surgery.. ( I lost 18 lbs and they were happy with that).

Good luck

Joe

hey Joe I posted to you in the support thread, how did you make out w/ surgery??

I don't know if my insurance will require that I have the 6 months supervised diet, but I was wondering. Does that have to be 6 months, recently? I have 2 different times, first in 1996-1997 and then again in 2001 where I was on diet pills prescribed by the dr. He has documentation of every time I came in for a weight check. I saw him for much longer than 6 months each time.

They sent me copies of my chart for the last 10 years because that's how long I've been seriously trying to get this weight off. It was interesting to read the comments and see how my weight has gone up and down like a yo-yo.

Insurance company told me as long as it was consecutive>>