The docs at the best center here said they won't take self pay with a BMI of 38 with no comorbidities. If I had the comorbidities insurance would pay for goodness sake! So now I am wondering about going somewhere near by that may do it. I was hopeful that my insurance company would be willing to work with me since I do have other diagnoses (i.e.: I have RA but the arthritis has to be degenerative to have them pay). I'm feeling very discouraged, when before I was very hopeful that I could work with them on this. Any suggestions are helpful, please!

Sphinx,

I don't know how the Insurance thing works anymore, or the self-pay. But I can introduce you to my surgeon in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Alan Posner. He works out of Buffalo General Hospital...The Comprehensive Weight Loss Clinic. There's another surgeon working there too, I think his/her name is Hoffman.

I don't know if this helps, but you could give them a try.

Good Luck!

Thank you. The surgeon I was referred to is highly recommended and I was hoping that I could at least see him so they could work with insurance for me but I can't even get in

Did you have surgery done? Driver down to New Brunswick, NJ dr. MEDTHA is awesome

Did you have surgery done? Driver down to New Brunswick, NJ dr. MEDTHA is awesome

Hey

Nope, haven't had my surgery yet! Turns out though, that I am an inch shorter than I thought which brings my BMI to 40 so insurance should pay. Luckily they don't require the 5% weight loss, but obviously still need to do the nutrition stuff......So far I have been to my initial seminar, my first group nutrition class, my initial history and physical and my therapist eval. So far so good! I just have to do 1:1 sessions with nutritionist (2 of them) and get an approval letter from my rheumatologist,. and I also have an eval at the sleep center, to see if I have Sleep Apnea, but if my BMI stays at 40# it won't matter.

But thanks for the advice!