APPROVED!

After getting the expected denial from Medicare last week, my surgeon's insurance director said she would try Aetna, my secondary insurance. I got home this afternoon and she had left a message saying that Aetna had approved my surgery. She asked me to call her. Of course, I was only able to get her phone mail box.

I am actually scared to get too excited because I am afraid that she will tell me she called the wrong person! I feel that mainly because it was sooner than I expected to hear anything, but mostly because the woman (now on leave) who I had dealt with earlier got really angry with me because I was insisting that she move forward with a request for the sleeve. Several Aetna agents had told me that she should get the denial from Medicare and then go to the secondary.. She practically screamed at me that I was wasting her time and should just settle for the band. (For medical reasons, I am not a candidate for the by-pass.) I know that Medicare does not approve the sleeve yet, but I kept thinking that they could then go to the secondary and I knew that I met all the criteria for Aetna.

I have lost about 30 pounds in my 3 month medically supervised program, have been exercising and am really psyched and ready to go. I do know that there are about 30 people they are trying to schedule in August, but I would love to have an August date!

If it does turn out that she left the correct message for the right person, I want people who have a Medicare Replacement Plan to know that there my be hope for a sleeve, if the secondary approves. In the meantime, I will have to be on pins and needles all week-end.