hey! I'm thinking of making the leap and getting the sleeve. was originally going to get the band but after really reading about both decided the sleeve is the better option for me. i have united health care do you think they will cover my surgery? i do have a BMI over 40

Hi' date=' I have UHC Choice Plus through my employer. The first thing you should find out is does your employer cover weight loss surgery. Some companies do not cover it. When I first started working for my current employer, they did not cover weight loss but now do so.

The requirements per the contract my employer has with UHC is a BMI of 35 to 39.9 with at least one comorbidity like high blood pressure, diabetes. There are several of them but these are a few examples. If you have a BMI greater than 40 they do not require any comorbidity. My insurance also requires a 6 month medically supervised diet and a psychological evaluation before they will approve you. UHC works with a company called Optum. If you log into myuhc and go to benefits and coverage and click on special services you might be able to tell from there. Your doctor's office will call your insurance co. to verify coverage. When I called Optum to ask the criteria I was told I would hear back from a nurse in about three weeks and I heard back exactly at the three mark timeframe. She sent me an email with my company's exact criteria I needed to qualify. The number for Optum is 1-888-936-7246. I have seen other post here that their employer does not require the 6 month diet. The previous poster said her insurance requires 2 comorbidities with a BMI between 35 and 39.9. It is all contingent upon what your employer agreed to when they obtained their insurance. If it is not covered by your employer, this would give you time to contact your HR department or benefits department to see if this might be something they may add when they renew their insurance for 2014.

I hope this helps you.[/quote']

Ditto on everything stated....im in the same boat!

I have UHC PPO option also 90/10. I was approved Oct 3. and I also had to do a 5yr weight history and nut and physical and psyc eval. TO ANYONE HAVING TO DO A 5YR WEIGHT HISTORY, IF YOUR WEIGHT WAS UNDER THE BMI REQUIRED FOR THE 5YRS...HAVE YOUR SURGEON NOTE ON THERE THAT YOU WERE DOING WEIGHT LOSS PLANS AT THE TIME AND HAD LOST SOME WEIGHT!!!! very important to get approval! the insurance will not deny you if they know WHY your weight was low at some points!! My insurance actually told me that! just passing it on. I was so worried because my weight was under for 2yrs of the 5yr history. But after my surgeon noted on there that I was trying to lose at those times, I was actually approved!! Good luck

So I have United HC Choice Plus PPO (90/10 option' date=' with a deductible of 300 medical 1800 annual, so my out of pocket will be 2100).

My employer doesn't require anything but medical/psych clearance, dr. note, and 40 BMI or 35-39 BMI w/1 co-morbidity. I specifically asked whether I had the requirement of a 6-mo medically supervised diet, and they said no, not with my coverage. Praying that's the case because I want surgery in December!!![/quote']

Approved today. No weight history or 6-month diet required. My BMI is 40.3. Waiting for scheduler to call to set date, and then take care of my labs, EKG, GI, and pre-appt with the surgeon.

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I hope you all can help me...I have Bluecross Blueshield blue options with my job and the Bariatric office called me to tell me that my insurance was denied due to my job opting out. So I called them and spoke to my HR person and they told me that was correct that they opted out of it. So I've been searching online for other insurances companies. Then a lady from Healthcare.gov called me and said that I qualify for there insurance. So I told her I was looking for good insurance for me and my daughter and I am looking for the insurance to cover bariatrics surgery because its medically necessary. So she search around the market and found UnitedHealth Care Gold Compass 1000 and she said it would cover it. Now my question is has anyone had this insurance and do they cover the surgery and its medically necessary. I am so scared that I will be denied again. My first appointment is June 23 which is consultation but there going to run it under my BCBS insurance which is a 50 copay. Yup they cover the consultations but don't cover the surgery. My Unitedhealth care doesn't go into affect until July 1 and my other insurance will be dropped. I am so scared.