• Hi everyone. I have been 'lurking' in the background reading up on all the insurance posts, especially regarding Fed BCBS. My husband is retired Federal employee and right now we have APWU (Cigna) which we picked as it was the least expensive of all our choices. However, my husband (and I) would like to get bariatric surgery and he had his first appt to discuss his options. The coordinator who handles all the precert said that BCBS Fed is the best for bariatric surgery. Therefore, I am trying to decide if we should dump Cigna and switch to BCBS Fed. and if so, should we choose the Basic or Standard plan? OMG, I'm about to have a panic attack over all this! Basic is less expensive than Standard, but it seems that the plans are pretty much the same, other than coinsurance and deductible amounts. Time is running out and I must make a decision soon. I sincerely appreciate any help you all can give me.

I would suggest calling each company and talking to a representative to see what they cover

I've been doing side-by-side comparisons for a couple weeks now but was hoping to hear from anybody with first hand knowledge between the two plans

I kept my BCBS Federal when I retired. Between Medicare as my primary and BCBS as my secondary, I pay very little for anything. BCBS Federal is the best insurance I have ever had, ever. When my surgeon sent my compliance packet in, BCBS approved it in two business days.

I kept my BCBS Federal when I retired. Between Medicare as my primary and BCBS as my secondary, I pay very little for anything. BCBS Federal is the best insurance I have ever had, ever. When my surgeon sent my compliance packet in, BCBS approved it in two business days.

Thank you for your comment. My husband will be 65 in April so he will be eligible for Medicare. If Medicare was primary, didn't they have to approve your surgery as well? Since I am 'only' 55, he needs to keep FEHB to keep me insured. He would then have two premiums, MC and BCBS which I am thinking would be a little pricey for us right now. One other thing, do you have BCBS Fed basic or standard? Thanks

I had my surgery on 12/23/2013 and started medicare on 1/01/2014. So, there was no crossover for that. With the BCSC I think I only paid around $150 for some doctor expense.

If I want to do the tummy tuck, Medicare will have to approve it, too. However, neither Medicare nor BCSC Federal will easily approve anything beyond a panniculectomy for the jiggly parts. It is very difficult to get the actual "tuck" paid for, where they do lipo and repair stretched out abdominals.

Go with FEP BCBS Basic. It seems like the standard option is "better" because its more expensive, but you will pay a lot of out pocket. The only thing I have been responsible for is my co-pays $35, and the surgeons fee for my surgery $150.