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Can you just go to a insurance company and apply for health benefits?



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Without going through a Job/Company,just apply for personal benefits? Like.. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield,and be able to see a LapBand doctor,would Anthem pay for your surgery as long as you pay your deductable?

any ideas would be great!:)

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ShayShay, each state has its own rules about whether individuals can apply for health insurance. Where do you live? In states with "guaranteed issue" individual policies, you can buy individual policies that might cover bariatric surgery, but they're expensive. Many other states allow insurance carriers to base their coverage decisions on medical underwriting--which means coverage for people who are morbidly obese is extremely expensive if not completely impossible to get.

If you live in NJ I can help you out, but otherwise you should start with ehealthinsurance.com and you can find out what options there are for individuals in your state.

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Thankyou, Alexandra.... Im in Ohio,Cincinnati.I'll look that up,and hopefully find a company that will cover bariatric surgery.If you have any more info let me know.

Have a good night,and congrats on your sucess(14/16),I smile everytime :)

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I went on the internet and got my Anthem Bc/Bs, they're kind of pricey and I have had it for a couple of years now. Last week I went online and applied for Humana and they're prices were much better but since I'm banded and sometimes they turn you down after they've found out you have had wls so I guess I'll just stay with Anthem. We pay 619.00 per month for myself and my husband.

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I called and found out in order to even get private insurance I need to weigh 170ish,not 200lbs like I do today,so I was told to get my weight down then apply to see if im approved.Boy!if it were that easy..I've been trying for 8 years to get to 170ish closes I got was 186lbs and that drove me nutz!

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In the individual insurance market, most seriously obese people are uninsurable. So the best bet is to find some way to get group insurance through a large employer, either your own or spouse if you're married.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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