I am so frustrated. I want the lapband but feel like maybe being fat me is just where I am stuck. I went Friday to my primary doctor and had very high blood pressure... the doctor put me on medicine and wrote me a referal for the Lap Band. My insurance only requires I be 100 pounds over weight and have something like high BP.... so everything looked great. I'd been talking with Dr. Bagnato's office and it looked like I might be able to use him (I'd hoped). I went to his seminar a month or two ago and liked him and you guys speak so well of him.

Today I called and they said that their hospital doesn't take my insurance (Tricare) and neither did they. They'd love to see me but I have to come up with $17,000+. They were nice, but nice was all they could do for me.

Me and my husband are both full time students and he works part time to pay our bills. He's also National Gaurd and will be leaving for war in the next year (SOMETIME??). We have 3 kids.... so coming up with $17,000 is beyond impossible. financing is impossible also, who'd give students with limited credit and no full time jobs $17,000?

My insurance says they cover 75% and I'd just need to come up with the other 15%, which even that would be hard but not impossible.

Anyways, I just can't find a doctor that will see me and take my insurance. I'd prefer one that doesn't require me to do 20 other things my insurance doesn't too (like phyc eval and nutrition) because my insurance doesn't require it they don't cover it either. More out of pocket.

I called a random doctor from the list. I know NOTHING about him other than he's on the lap band site. Dr. Paul Macik. I hope he's great. His office says that he takes my insurance. I have to come up with $150 per visit... not to mention the $1800+ for the surgury before hand. He also will require me to see a therapist for the evaluation... which I'll have to pay for out of pocket. But he may allow me to bypass the other steps, sense my insurance situation.

I hope this works out, but I'm just scrared it won't. I'm so tired of denyed and this is all more than my family can really afford anyways. Maybe it's just cheaper and better for everyone if I just stay as I am. Encouraging words would be nice or just advice.

Try to hang in there. Only you can know if WLS is right for you but do not let financing hold you back, there are always ways. I reverted to a bit of fuzzy math while pitching it to my husband. Emphasizing all the money we would save each month on grocery bills as well as doctor & prescriptions with the increasing problems I was having due to my weight.

As far as Dr. Macik goes I'm not in Atlanta but did a quick search through LBT and found that Wisshi & DishDiva both were banded by Macik and have been active on LBT recently. You might try tracking them down and sending them a Private Message to ask what they think of him and his office. You should also attend at least one of his local support group meetings to get a feel for how his program works. Local support groups can be a key part of a bandsters success.

I'm not a huge fan of Obesityhelp.com but I also included a link to their comments page for Dr. Macik. One thing to keep in mind on is that the majority of those comments are posted by patients shortly after and sometimes even before they have had surgery.

Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Paul E. Macik, M.D. F.A.C.S.

Good luck what ever you decide.

So sorry to hear about the discouraging events you have had to experience.

You might check under the Insurance forum; there are posts about Tricare there and there may be someone familiar with your insurance who can help you through this.

I don't blame you for being discouraged. I was once that way myself. I was all psyched to have it when I found out my insurance wouldn't cover it. I was also ready to give up. But I didn't. I knew this was right for me, so I found a way to do it self-pay. I'm not saying that to say you too should do it self-pay, because I know that isn't an option in your situation. But what I mean is if you truly feel this is right for you, then consider seeing some of the doctors your insurance will cover. It doesn't hurt to just go meet them and talk to some other doctors. If my insurance would have been accepted by someone, I'd have used it in a heartbeat (it was excluded in my policy.) I hope it all works out for you.

Dear Myn,

PLEASE do not make your decision based on finances alone. There are so many ways to come up with your 15% and $150 per visit. I was self-pay and only had the one pre-op visit and one post-op visit, and I guess I'll not see Dr. Bagnato again unless something goes wrong...maybe you'll only have a couple of visits as well.

If you have any collateral (car, home, life insurance, stocks), you may be able to get a 2-3 year loan from a bank. If your credit is good, the bank might make you an unsecured loan for a short term. This would be better than charging it on a credit card (unless you have one of those at 7.9%).

Also, just because a lot of us like Dr. Bagnato, he's not the only one who is experienced with this kind of surgery. Ask your insurance company for a recommendation, look around this forum for names, and ask all your questions so you feel comfortable with your choice.

I'm 53 and got banded so I'd feel better both physically and psychologically. I want to start a new career when I'm an empty nester in a couple of years, and be able to keep up with any grandchildren that may be in my future. At age 29 you have your whole life ahead of you, and 3 kids to keep up with! And you're a student as well! I'm proud of you and I don't even know you!

Holly

Is it possible to find out a particular doctor here? How do I go about doing that?

Myn,

Dr Macik is perfectly fine, Tiffany and Honore` (his staff) are even better!

I've met several of his patients and the worse thing I've heard is he has no sense of humor, yet I've made him smile a time or two..Competent, efficient and on the insurance...my requirements also. He did great...my incisions are little dots except for my port one is about an inch long and almost healed at 4 weeks... Let me know if you decide to go with him.

Wisshi

aka Chrissi

I was out of the hospital in 12 hours, quick follow up, going back for my first fill in 2 weeks.

I am so frustrated. I want the lapband but feel like maybe being fat me is just where I am stuck. I went Friday to my primary doctor and had very high blood pressure... the doctor put me on medicine and wrote me a referal for the Lap Band. My insurance only requires I be 100 pounds over weight and have something like high BP.... so everything looked great. I'd been talking with Dr. Bagnato's office and it looked like I might be able to use him (I'd hoped). I went to his seminar a month or two ago and liked him and you guys speak so well of him.

Today I called and they said that their hospital doesn't take my insurance (Tricare) and neither did they. They'd love to see me but I have to come up with $17,000+. They were nice, but nice was all they could do for me.

Me and my husband are both full time students and he works part time to pay our bills. He's also National Gaurd and will be leaving for war in the next year (SOMETIME??). We have 3 kids.... so coming up with $17,000 is beyond impossible. financing is impossible also, who'd give students with limited credit and no full time jobs $17,000?

My insurance says they cover 75% and I'd just need to come up with the other 15%, which even that would be hard but not impossible.

Anyways, I just can't find a doctor that will see me and take my insurance. I'd prefer one that doesn't require me to do 20 other things my insurance doesn't too (like phyc eval and nutrition) because my insurance doesn't require it they don't cover it either. More out of pocket.

I called a random doctor from the list. I know NOTHING about him other than he's on the lap band site. Dr. Paul Macik. I hope he's great. His office says that he takes my insurance. I have to come up with $150 per visit... not to mention the $1800+ for the surgury before hand. He also will require me to see a therapist for the evaluation... which I'll have to pay for out of pocket. But he may allow me to bypass the other steps, sense my insurance situation.

I hope this works out, but I'm just scrared it won't. I'm so tired of denyed and this is all more than my family can really afford anyways. Maybe it's just cheaper and better for everyone if I just stay as I am. Encouraging words would be nice or just advice.

I was denied by UHC, so had no choice but to go to Fort Gordon and utilize my Tricare. Got an appt.9/8/2008 for an 8 hour class. It is a start. My questions will be... Are you board certified. etc. I am excited