I wanted to say thank you to everyone on this forum. :confused::laugh::tt1::laugh:I have UHC Choice Plus, my paperwork was submitted on Apr. 8 and was approved on the 17th. I just received my official approval letter in the mail today. :rolleyes2: So we'll see how long it takes the surgeons office to call me to setup my surgery date. This forum was very helpful to me!!! I just lucked up on it one late night doing a search on the LB. Those who are still trying to get approved....KEEP AT IT, DON'T GIVE UP!!!! :cry_smile:

Congrats!!! I think I'm the lucky one in that my only fight was getting my primary care physician off his duff to WRITE THE LETTER for me. lol. (Took him a month.) My info was submitted last Friday and I got the call this morning that UHC approved me for it. WOOHOO! (I was amazed it was that easy.)

Do you have a surgery date set yet?:rolleyes2:

Congrats to both of you. I was changed insurance and am starting this process all over. Was wondering since I have UHC Choice Plus as well and was wondering what you had to have to submit? Thanks ahead of time for your repsonses.

I am still shocked at how easy the process was for me. I only submitted my diet history, my primary care dr wrote the rec. letter for me and then I had the bloodwork done to be able to show things are really in the beginning stages of being bad due to the weight.

From what I understand though, it seems like it's up to the employer's plan as to how easy it is to get it OK'd. (If that makes sense.)

Good luck!

Thanks for posting this! I have UHC and a similar timeline as yours, so this lets me know that I should expect the approval letter next week. My surgeon's bariatric coord. told me to call when I rec'd it to setup the pre-op appt.. YEAH!

First, Congrats to all!

I have UHC Choice Plus also and was approved in 4 days. I had to submit a 5 yr weight history, PCP letter of approval/support with any and all information to help my case, my surgeon office required a psych evaluation before submitting, I think that is it. It was just done the first of this year and I have forgotten already.

I have been banded now for almost six weeks. I love it already.

Good luck!

Ok so bad news... my ex husband (who provided my health insurance) got fired, I loose my insurance at the end of the month. I am trying to figure out if I might get approved and if I should pay the COBRA (self pay the insurance but it wil be $$$$).... life sucks now...

Will Cobra cover it?? so, sorry to hear abut your situation....

Cobra will cover it as long as it's in your policy. Meaning that the cobra policy is the same one that you had before, and if WLS is included then Yes it will cover it.

Well today I got my surgery date. May 14th....they wanted to give me May 7th but I got scared and chickened out of that date. :smile: But this new one I will stick with. So I have to start the pre-op diet next week. I've already planned my last meals out. :lol:

I am still shocked at how easy the process was for me. I only submitted my diet history, my primary care dr wrote the rec. letter for me and then I had the bloodwork done to be able to show things are really in the beginning stages of being bad due to the weight.

From what I understand though, it seems like it's up to the employer's plan as to how easy it is to get it OK'd. (If that makes sense.)

Good luck!

Makes total sense. I have United Health Care Choice Plus as well and was denied coverage. My husbands company puts in a bariatric surgery exclusion and there's pretty much no getting around it. :party:

MY UHC just started covering Banding 3/01/08 per my employee package.

I think that they (ins and employers) are starting to see the wisdom of preventitive care!

I am still shocked at how easy the process was for me.

Same here! We just switched to UHC this year, and so far I'm lovin' it. :party:

last year we had BCBS and there were many hoops to jump through. I was just starting my 6-month doctor-supervised weight loss program when I found out my employer was switching to UHC for 2008. Thankfully, once the new insurance kicked in, they didn't have nearly so many requirements. Just a weight history, list of co-morbidities (if applicable), and some sort of idea that you'd tried to lose weight before.

The UHC approval people called me on the phone and just asked what weight loss attempts I'd made. I didn't have anything doctor-supervised, but I explained the counting calories, atkins, diet pills, excercise, etc, and that was good enough.

I didn't even have to have my PCP write a letter, I did it myself explaining my history and why I wanted the surgery.

They approved it in two weeks, and now my surgery is on Monday. Yay! :party:

:cursing:I have UHC through the railroad. I was never told by anyone at UHC that it's common for them to ask for a 5yr. weight/BMI history. I knew they wanted weight loss program info, which I provided. They told my surgeon's office if my BMI drops below 35 during the 5 yr. history I won't be approved. Can someone help me? I haven't had a BMI of 35 for the past five years. I've been overweight, but just hit the 35-38 mark this past year.

I submitted letters from my PCP and Chiropractor, stating how long they had treated me, what weight loss programs I participated in, my comorbidities, and why they thought the Lap Band would help me.

Please help.

Melissa

Does anyone know if UHC will accept 5 yr. medical records from my Chiropractor, instead of PCP? I have to show proof of a minimum 35 BMI for 5 yrs. I can't show that through my PCP because I donot let them weight me hardly ever when I have a doctor's appointment.

However, I'm pretty sure my Chiropractor has all my medical records from his office. I've gone to him for 10 yrs.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Melissa

We also have UHC through the railroad. I think they'd accept it. Heck, really the only 5 year history they got from me was something stating that I had tried Weight Watchers for a year, South Beach Diet for almost a year and a few other things. I had NOTHING from a Dr. stating what my diet history was and I got approved. (And my written history was in an email to the coordinator for my surgeon!!!)