Hi I have my own business, and I used to have United Health Care and they said the lap band or bariatric surgery was excluded from my plan, which is funny because I never excluded it it. Anyways I am in need of new insurance for my company and will be a small group policy and I want it to cover the lap band. Anybody have any ideas. I am in Houston, TX. Thanks! I am getting very frustrated.

Try ehealthinsurance.com

Put in your location then start calling the companys with plans in your price range.

Give them the CPT code for Gastric Banding 43770.

I am going through something similar. My company has a small business plan with BC/BS and all WLS is excluded. Not by my employer but by BC/BS - I guess for them small business gets classified as COMMERCIAL - the commercial classification is where the exclusion comes from. That may be the case for you too.

I was able to find a plan here in NY that was reasonable $$ and I "think :phanvan " will work for me. It's a hospitalization plan. It doesn't cover office visits but it looks like the surgery will be covered and small co-pays for the pre-op testing. *crossing my fingers no complication with the band or otherwise requiring many office visits, come up until open enrollment on my current BC/BS plan comes back up in January 2008 *

Good luck.