Did your insurance require you to have a 6 mos supervised diet? I have united health care through the railroad employees and my precert just got sent in for approval. I'm nervous I'm going to have to complete a 6mos diet and well I'm just not very patient right now I've been waiting so long that another 6 mos seems like an eternity. I just hope I het approved with out it!

My insurance required it but I had already tried a liquid diet for 8 months at the point that I decided to go for WLS. Too bad that they told me that the band was my best choice at that time. Now I have the sleeve and not sure if I would recommend the band to anyone. Guess it would have to depend on the person medical conditions and their expectations.

I didn't have to do the 6 months diet. My surgeon wanted us lose 30 pounds (no matter what your starting weight was) to 1. see if we could do it and 2. to shrink the liver. Now, I only lost 16 pounds (shame, shame, I know) but he operated on me anyways and didn't even lecture me about it. Do I wish I lost the full 30 before surgery? You bet, because that means that would have been less weight to worry about afterwards.

I wouldn't have made it if I had to a 6 month diet. Granted, it took me 5-6 months to go through the whole pre-op process, but if they added that in, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it. I commend anyone who can.

Good luck to you!

i also have united and they required the "Works", the six month supervised "diet". which i gained instead of losing.. n the evaluations n etc.. but got my approval and my surgery date march 5 woop woop for the sleeve.. hear too many negatives about the band..

How long did it take for your approval to come in?

I'm just so anxious. I know it covers it at 100% no co insurance or deductible. I'm just worried about the guidelines. I've read and heard through the grapevine that railroad insurance was great coverage and easy approval, but again just so nervous. The rep from the hospital said she had someone come through a yr ago with the exact same ins and they had no requirements other than BMI over 40 I'm currently at 45 and diagnosed with high blood pressure yesterday :-( I'm 32 with 4 kids and just ready to be healthy with them again. Fingers crossed for no supervised diet. I did one back in 2010 but wasn't "supervised". I worked with a personal trainer for a yr and lost 50# but that plus some is back:-( its so hard to be so patient lol

I had to do the supervised diet, and also had to lose 5% of my starting weight. If you don't have to do it, that's great. But if you do, just go with the flow because the doctors you will work with know exactly what to do! The six months is great for getting your head in order as well. While we have surgery on our stomach, our heads need a lot of work and prep too!

Good luck!

I had to complete the six month supervised diet also. I was fortune because intially I wanted to have the LapBand. However, after learning of the gastric sleeve I changed my mind, and other issues I was experiencing with the LapBand program. The insurance allowed me to use those six months towards the sleeve requirements. Either way my insurance, Cigna, did require a six month supervised weight loss program. They were the longest six months. Good luck

I have Health Alliance of Illinois. They used to require 4 months within a 6 month period of medically supervised weight loss visits but recently got rid of that requirment. But, my bariatric program, Memorial Bariatric Services does still require the visits. Their process takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get a surgery date also. They have a team approach and all the members of the team have to approve that the person is ready for surgery before they submit the papers for insurance approval and to get the actual surgery date.

I have UMR which is under the United Health Care umbrella (I don't understand it). I finally got answers from our HR dept since I hear multiple different things every time I call insurance. Here is the quoted part of mine "

• Documentation of participation in and compliance with a physician led multidisciplinary non-surgical program of at least 6 consecutive months in duration within the past 3 years. This includes a low or very low calorie diet, supervised exercise, behavior modification, and support, with possible medication. Actual progress notes are required. Summary letters will not be accepted. " I am bummed, but going to do it because I know I have not been able to do it myself the last 20 years! The surgeon i am using offers this in his office so I am going to go there (even though it is 70 miles one way, through Fort Worth traffic, blah). Of course, when I contacted insurance last summer about this they failed to let me know about it or I would have been DONE instead of 10 lbs fatter. I am walking through all this right now so I understand what you are feeling. Now that I am resolved that I have to do the diet i am just going to get it done and get my sleeve before the end of the year. I am curious though, if this "supervised diet" through the surgeon's office, is REALLY that, or if they just take you through the motions to help you meet the insurance requirements. I stretched my stomach after 13 years of Vegas cheap buffets and big meals, so I am usually a ravenous madwoman when I try 1200 calorie diets. And I am so addicted to caffeine for functioning right now I struggle with exercise. It is a vicious circle. I hope you are approved without it, but if you have to do it, we can do it together and keep each other focused on the prize. Keep us updated!!!!!!!!!
  

I have BCBS of Alabama. They require 6 months of supervised diet with a PCP or documented Weight Watchers or similiar program. They won't allow the diet to be supervised by the bariatric surgeon. The 6 months diet actually end ups being 7 months because the first first doesn't count. It starts 30 days after the first visit.

January 19 was my last visit from the six month, then they told me i needed a sleep study Jan 30, then around the 3rd i called n told me i had to wait til they get the sleep study results, calls me back n tells me she had submitted it before i did the sleep study around the 19, so i guess it took 2 weeks maybe less.. a friend of mines did it he says in 3 to 4 days they called to tell him he was approved. so patience can be uugh lol but its worth!

I just got notified today I was approved with no stipulations. Now to schedule a surgery day and start the two week liquid diet!

I just got notified today I was approved with no stipulations. Now to schedule a surgery day and start the two week liquid diet!

Wonderful!