I am a United Healthcare patient in Kansas City waiting for approval on getting lapband surgery with Dr Hoehn at Shawnee Mission Medical Ctr. The hospital and the local United Healthcare office reached a verbal agreement to sign a new contract prior to the termination date of April 12, 2007. Because of a separate,unrelated contract dispute between United Healthcare's corporate office and Shawnee Mission Medical Center sister hospital in Chicago. United Healthcare will not allow it's local office to sign the agreement. We as individual members can only make our healthcare changes once a year. As you know enrollment is not open now. That leaves many of us without our chosen doctors and specialists in the middle of the year. THIS IS NOT FAIR to UHC members in the Kansas City area. Your city may be next. I am calling on all my lapband friends here to help send a message to United Healthcare. Please go to the following link and fax or mail a copy of the letter there to United Healthcare.

If for some reason you are unable to open up the link, PM me and I will send a copy to you. Thanks so much

https://www.shawneemission.org/news/news_home/unitedhealthcare_negotiations.html

Thanks for the info. I have UHC and though I have my approval I havent had surgery yet. So this makes me nervous as to if something could happen prior to getting the surgery done. I will definatly be checking further into this. I hope the issue is resolved soon. :nervous

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this might cost a stamp to send letter...please do it guys.

We went through a similar thing with Anthem BCBS a couple years ago. Then we were forced to only take UHC. Anthem would pay for the bypass and UHC will not. Two years down the road the hospital is again taking patients with Anthem but it still isn't offered to us as employees. I feel for you and pray that things will work out to your advantage. Nothing like being screwed royally because of insurance companies and hospitals cant come to an agreement! Good Luck!

Things between SMMC and UHC are still not resolved. I spoke with my surgeons office today and since things arent settled it is up to me if I want to go ahead. Insurance person their said they are going on with their OTHER patients with other insurance. UHC is my secondary but this surgeons office makes you pay whatever the insurance doesnt. My primary wont pay much at all. So I am in a real quandary. I started investigating lapband in April 2005, seminar 11-2005, insurance problem stopped everything 2-2006, new seminar this year now this. It makes me wonder if this is an omen and isnt for me.

i am with united healthcare...but because i chose dr hoehn for my lapband i was still covered. he did the surgery at heartland spine & specialty @ 107th & nall. it IS a uhc approved facility.

good luck!