I am in the Bay area and this evening KTVU (the Fox affiliate) aired a story about a military wife who had a VSG. The story was about the cost to taxpayers as the surgery, done in a military hospital, is performed at almost no cost for military dependents. The story emphasized that 390 million dollars worth of what they called "weight loss surgery" had been done. They made it sound like every overweight woman with a husband in the service was rushing to get a VSG on the taxpayer's dime.

I'll bet that Congress is going to jump on this pretty quick, so if you are considering surgery and your benefits are through Tricare, I'd get it done sooner rather than later.

Whatever, just another excuse to cut our benefits! But you bet your bottom every time I went into my doc prior to surgery I got a huge lecture on my weight. Military docs think the BMI chart is the end-all and be-all of the universe. The military paid for me to have the nutrition class four times because my doctor was convinced I just needed to know how to eat properly for the weight to fall off. They paid for countless hormone panels and even paid for my metabolic testing.

I self paid for VSG because military insurance is great in some ways but really bites in other ways. And guess what? I bet "the taxpayers" are relieved that they're no longer paying for the six medications I was on prior to surgery, including diabetes meds and test strips, huh? They were shelling out hundreds a month for little old me.

In the long term, the expense of insuring overweight people is far more than paying for the surgery in the first place.

Anyway, this piece was likely done because America wants to be mad at everyone for money right now and play the point-the-finger game - as though the expense of even a thousand surgeries done in military hospitals somehow outweighs the expense of having our troops involved in five different conflicts right now! Let's rile the taxpayers up over pennies so they won't start complaining about the dollars!

Sorry I sound so crabby and bitter. I'm a grumpy Army wife that self-paid for my surgery and flew from Germany to Mexico to have it done. I've been continually denied good medical benefits and even good medical care - every minor issue I ever had was blamed on my weight, to the point of ridiculousness. I can very honestly say the only thing Tricare has ever handled for me without an issue was the pregnancy and delivery of my twins. In eight years, I've had one really great thing handled without headaches, letters, and fighting for approval.

Tricare can bite it, and so can the news networks riling people up over stupid things like this.

~Cheri

All grumpity-grumps aside, thanks for sharing. It's hard enough to get this surgery done at a MTF right now, so women considering it might want to jump on it quickly.

~Cheri

I had my surgery at a Military hospital, and I would say this - I would rather have my husband always home safely and not being shot at overseas than have had my surgery covered by Tricare. I think the Gov't gets off pretty cheap for what we give them in return!!

And you are absolutely right, Cheri... I will be much cheaper for them to treat for the next 50 years when I am no longer obese!

PS - (You are doing amazing! Congrats!)

I just came here to post about this very topic. I am FURIOUS over this news report/article. I was informed about it tonight at a WLS support group. I am also a military wife and YES I had my surgery though the military. This idiot reporter made it sound as if the military wife just sits around eating and not exercising, just getting fat and popping out kids. OH I AM MAD!!!! Dr. Sebesta, who was interviewed for this, tried to keep this article real, but this idiot reporter just wanted to make the military wife as mooching off the system.

Dang it! I have spent years holding down the fort, wondering if my husband was going to come home alive. My husband suffers from PTSD and I have to help him through that. I have to be here to support him in every way. I have ALWAYS sat back while he fought for our freedom, I gave up so much for this country too! YES I DESERVED HEALTH! I didn't just sit around stuffing my face. I tried my hardest!

Here is the article if anyone wants to see it http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/military-spends-363000000-weight-loss-surgery/nFTB5/ , I think we should all bombard this site until they apologize and make this right. I can't even understand how they could have the guts to post this and try to make us look bad in a state FULL of military.

And really, trying to make it out as if they just hand out plastics?! NOT TRUE! It is SO hard to get plastics approved. Even though I was put on a wait list 2 years ago, WAY before considering WLS for a medically necessary panniculectomy, I was informed by a new plastic surgeon at the same hospital that he felt the pain I have, the rashes I deal with, the increased back issues caused by my stomach was not medically necessary and he took me off the list! My need for a panni has nothing to do with my weight either, it had to deal with my 3 medically NECESSARY c-sections and having carried twins. UGH! I am really mad about this whole thing.