Did your insurance pay for band removal??

Some do and some don't. There is a whole section on band to sleeve revisions. You should look there.

Mine is paying for band removal because I am having a lot of problems from my 5 year old dinosaur band causing weakening in my Esophagus.

HOWEVER, they refused to pay for the sleeve. I am paying the difference between the two which is $8,000 and my insurance is paying for band removal at 100%. Of course because I've been on liquids for 6 months because of my band I want this done ASAP so I am still fighting to be reimbursed via insurance on the conversion to the sleeve.

If you have BCBS many of them cover the Sleeve, however some such as mine consider it "experimental"

well that would depend as to why your are having your band removed? if it is just cause you don't want it anymore, no, no insurance will pay for that. If you have an implant failure-well documented complications via endo and flouro, every insurance co pays for a medically necessary removal. it is not the removal that is the question it is the revision that is the question. now from band to sleeve that is the trick, sleeve is considered experimental/investigational by many insurance co, even though competent medical evidence is repelet that that statement is false.