Hello Friends. I am sorry to say that my insurance co. turned me down for the Sleeve.....I am not heavy enough!!! Go figure. A real bummer, I was so excited. They are going to talk my surgeon tomorrow to get me changed over to gastric bypass which is what I initially thought I was getting. Please say a prayer for me that I get this one approved

Thanks to all and many blessings Judy

Good luck Judy....weird decision making on their part, but sometimes the world works in strange ways!

Hope it all goes right for you.

Hi Judy,

I'm so sorry to hear that news. I'm just a little baffled too - I would think they would reserve GB or any kind of malabsorptive procedure for those that have much more to lose. Oh well, though I'm not a Dr. either.

Regardless I wish you well and that you make your goal and on the way to a healthier you!!! That's what this is all about -

Reading between the lines and based on what other information I've read I would hazard a guess that the insurance company considers the VSG as a PRECURSOR to the bypass. It was originally used to allow morbidly obese patients a safer alternative to bypass and allow them to loose enough weight to be able to safely get a bypass. It hasn't been till recently that a VSG alone has been considered a total solution.

My guess is they don't want to pay for a VSG first then a bypass later.

mspuddytat , have you considered a self pay option? It may actually be a cheaper way to go.

I'm sorry to hear that good luck on your journey.

i ran into a girl i know the other day and she was shocked when i said i had the sleeve.

she just had the bypass and she said her hospital was more strict with the sleeve than the bypass.

odd i thought

We wish you the best! Still stop by and let us know how you are doing!

Best wishes ! ! ! That's pretty insane considering bypass is far more drastic for weight loss, and almost double the cost as the sleeve procedure. Not to mention the long term complications insurance companies are having to pay for due to RNY complications. I do wish you the best, but before you go under the knife, make sure your insurance company denied you for the correct reasons.

Make sure you get a denial letter from your insurance company with that being the reason, and that it isn't something that your surgeon's office isn't making for you.

Hello Friends. I am sorry to say that my insurance co. turned me down for the Sleeve.....I am not heavy enough!!! Go figure. A real bummer, I was so excited. They are going to talk my surgeon tomorrow to get me changed over to gastric bypass which is what I initially thought I was getting. Please say a prayer for me that I get this one approved

Thanks to all and many blessings Judy

At first I thought I would give in too when my insurance denied me due to it being an "experimental" surgery. I really considered the lap-band and the bypass. I did my research, then I wrote a personal letter explaining all the reasons that the sleeve was best for me. I backed it with current research about the loss rates, recovery rates and all that for the sleeve. I sent it in with a letter from my surgeon for appeal and I WON! I got the sleeve. I hope that you are doing this because you want to, not because you are just settling. It is worth the time and effort invested to find and get what you really want. Best of luck to you.