I just got my email newsletter from Dr. David Kim. This info was included and may be helpful to someone else:

Effective February 1, 2012, BCBS of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Illinois have DROPPED the 6 month program that they previously required for weight loss surgery! Contact us to check your benefits and see if your policy was affected. This now means that if you qualify, you could head to surgery within 6-8 WEEKS instead of 6-8 months.

That is awesome! I fought bcbs twice and gave up. Thank God they are starting to wake up

Thank you for the information. I have BCBS TX and I have been wondering about this.. I have read my policy over and over and all it said was that it would be treated like any other surgery. I just started my journey. I see my surgeon, Dr. Avera from Ocean Springs, MS, on Friday for the first time. I am quite nervous and exited at the same time. Your information is quite helpful to me and I thank you for sharing. Good luck!

I have BCBS of Texas Anthem and they only required 1 Psych visit and 1 Dietician visit!

Yep, I was able to move my surgery date up almost two months! Now scheduled for April 9th. I have BCBSIL.

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@ WhoozisAnyway....I haven't met Dr. Avera yet. I meet him for the first time Friday. I have heard some very god things about him.

@ WhoozisAnyway....I haven't met Dr. Avera yet. I meet him for the first time Friday. I have heard some very god things about him.

I am sure you will like him a lot. He seems like a very compassionate and positive person. Do you still have to have a psych eval? SMSWC has a couple of psychologists they can refer you to, or you can pick your own. I went to a psychologist that a good friend of mine had used before his surgery. If you decide for any reason not to use one of their referrals, let me know and I'll message you the info.

I have BCBSIL, but mine still requires a 6 month supervision. I'm ok with it. It gives me a chance to better prepare myself.

I have BCBSIL, but mine still requires a 6 month supervision. I'm ok with it. It gives me a chance to better prepare myself.

I'm four months into my 6 months, and don't require the supervision any more so I'm moving forward. It was inconvenient to take a half day off work every month to go to the supervision visits. Furby, I'm surprised that you still require a 6 month supervision. If you go to the BCBSIL website, access the providers page, then go to medical policy and search for bariatric, the bariatric surgery policy doesn't require 6 month supervision. Is the 6 month supervision a special restriction put in place by your employer?

I'm four months into my 6 months' date=' and don't require the supervision any more so I'm moving forward. It was inconvenient to take a half day off work every month to go to the supervision visits. Furby, I'm surprised that you still require a 6 month supervision. If you go to the BCBSIL website, access the providers page, then go to medical policy and search for bariatric, the bariatric surgery policy doesn't require 6 month supervision. Is the 6 month supervision a special restriction put in place by your employer?[/quote']

It is my employer requiring the 6 month supervision. At first I was upset but I really need the time to come to terms this is real.

It is my employer requiring the 6 month supervision. At first I was upset but I really need the time to come to terms this is real.

Awesome attitude - it's real, and it's for life, and the prep is going to mean a lot. It's not a delay, it's just part of the process.

Awesome attitude - it's real' date=' and it's for life, and the prep is going to mean a lot. It's not a delay, it's just part of the process.[/quote']

For me I have quit drinking soda, which was a big thing. I haven't drank soda in 6 months. It is hard but worth it. I have a hard time drinking lots of Water. I average 48 ounces a day. I still need to learn no water 30 min before or after eatin. I still need to learn to chew food slowly. I think that is the biggest problem for me.

@ WhoozisAnyway....I haven't met Dr. Avera yet. I meet him for the first time Friday. I have heard some very god things about him.

Dr. Eicke is the cheapest psychologist ($300.00) and he will be prompt with completing your psych! He is listed in the binder they give you at SMSWLC.