I am sitting here about to freak out, and just need some help please! Last week i had a physical, and my doc "mentioned" lap band procedure. I go to William Beaumont @ Fort Bliss (my hubby is active duty army) and he looked at my weight, and height and mentioned that WB now does the lapbands. I have been "thinking" about WLS for about 6 years now, and when he said that, I decided that it is now time, im not getting any younger

Anyway, i have RESEARCHED and researched tricare primes policys, and all i can find is that they require you to be 100 lbs over weight (no BMI requirements) AND have a co-morbid. Well I do have high blood pressure, and Im going to find out if i have high cholesterol and blood sugar issues. (in other words im pretty sure i qualify with the co-morbids) HOWEVER...........according to the metlife chart i see, they have a range for my height of 5'6 as 140 - 159. I currently weigh 248..............so Im "with in" that range. But i saw a conversation on here somewhere (wish i could find it now!!!!! ) where someone said that they require you to be on the HIGHER limit of your range. If that is the case, I would be 11 pounds shy of qualifying.

Does anyone have experience of getting lapband, under tricare prime AT A MTF???? Meaning not referred out, but at the actual army hospital?

Now that Im very excited about getting qualified, I just want to cry that I could actually be denied because im right in the middle of my "height range"????????????? I dont' see the doc for another week, and i just don't feel like im going to make it..............lol............please someone HELP!!!!!!

My husband is AD military and I'm scheduled to have surgery May 5. Just waiting on Tricare to approve. From what I have heard, you must have a BMI higher than 40 (mine's 41) or be 100 pounds over with co-morbidities but Tricare is cloudy on their requirements. Talk to your Tricare specialist. They will be able to help you. Good luck.

thanks for the reply. May I ask if you are getting it done at a MTF? Or are you getting a refferel for civilian doc?

Using a civilian doctor. I live in New Jersey and don't feel like traveling just to get banded.

hmmm guess I'll have to wait to ask my doc. I go to the hospital on post, and never have to deal with tricare ~ I've only ever had to deal one time with being referred off post, and even then I never had to deal with tricare. So im really curious how it works if you get banded AT the MTF as a tricare prime benificiary.

Thanks for your replies :confused:

sorry im bumping this..............was really hoping to get some more answers!!!!! :thumbup:

GIRL! Calm down.:thumbup: Ok, let me say this. I have tricare prime (my dh is active duty navy) and I am scheduled for surgery in 17 days. Unlike the other girl, I have to travel for the surgery but am going to a non network dr. You know what? Let me message you my "story" as I did this a little while ago today. YOU SHOULD qualify for the surgery. HBP is a co morbidity with tricare bmi requirement being 35-39 and usually you only need one of those. As for the amount, if no co morbidities...100lbs overweight, BMI 40. Let me know.

SOOOOooooConfused, check your message box here, I sent you a message :thumbup:

thank you! Going to check now :-)

Soooconfused, the wait is probably because you do not have to do tricare. The list is probably first come first served at the MTF. Right? If it is at a military facility, then tricare should not be involved. I say try to get referred out. Much easier. :thumbup:

thanks kellyjoii ~ I think part of my confusion was I am just now "getting" that a MTF can do the surgery, and its not under tricare, but that specific MTF............THEN also tricare covers the procedure.......which can occur at a different hospital. That makes a diff i suppose.