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United Health Care-No coverage on WLS



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Ok can somebody help me with this...what else can be done when you have UHC that excludes Bariatric surgery? I know there's self pay and some people go to Mexico but is there any other options?!?! I'm thinking about talking to someone in my HR department but will that even help?!?! I'm desperate need to go from the band to the sleeve☠️ Anybody in here work for UHC I'll take any answers

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I experienced a similar problem with AmeriHealth (they said it was a Gastrointestinal Procedure - like a Colonoscopy). I wound up switching providers to Horizon Blue Cross in order to get my Sleeve done. It took about 2 months to get everything switched over, but it was the only way for me to get what I needed.

There were hassles and a few phone calls that had me praying for forgiveness afterward, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

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It must be your job that doesn't include bariatric surgery within their plan. I have UHC and it was covered. Maybe find out if it's your job that doesn't because I'm almost positive UHC does. (I'm also assuming your insurance is through your job.) I know my insurance had certain requirements others with UHC didn't have but it was because my job picked those certain requirements.

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Yes my insurance is through my job, so you think I might need to give HR a call...or at this point there's no need

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I have UHC and it was covered. It's done through your job. If they don't offer Bariatric surgery on their plan it won't matter who you call. My advice is to look through other insurance choices outside of the job and see if one fits better. I'm sorry they don't cover it that sucks.

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Yes my insurance is through my job, so you think I might need to give HR a call...or at this point there's no need

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As said above it wouldn't matter because the job doesn't cover it in their plan.

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The bariatric provision on many insurance policies for companies is an option they can choose to include or exclude (usually cheaper to exclude). You can call the HR department, but any changes would go into effect the next open enrollment and probably not immediately.

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I have UHC. Weirdest thing ever! HMO covers bariatric care but PPO doesn't. So, I was allowed to switch back to HMO in the middle of the plan year once I realized this. I explained to HR that I have a lapband which requires ongoing care and would not have enrolled in a PPO had I known bariatric services/care was excluded. You may have to take this time to research your plan options and find out which one covers bariatric treatment and switch to that one during open enrollment.

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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.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • 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.
      · 1 reply
      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.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

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

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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