I have BCBS MN and am going through my 6 month diet. I haven't lost but a couple of lbs so far. My BMI is right at 50. Does anyone know what their requirements are? Do I have to lose a certain percentage or do they deny or approve alot? Just curious about your experienced with them.

Thanks for any info!

Karen

Hi I have BCBS and they are freaking awesome.

They approved my surgery in 1 day after completing the 6 month diet.

They don't require anything really other than the diet if you have a BMI over 40. I only lost 5 pounds in 6 months and it was a fast approval.

Hello -

I have BCBS MN as well. I was approved almost immediately. My BMI was 42. I used the fact that I did 6 months of Jenny Craig last year to count as my 6 month diet. After the info session, visit with the bariatric surgeon, PT visit and one visit with the nutritionist for the bariatric surgery team I was approved. It was really not a big deal, as long as you follow their instructions.

You can actually call BCBS and they will send you a packet in the mail about their requirements. There are certain "preferred gold centers" and that is where the cover more - the short list is Park Nicollett (where I did mine, Dr. Weatherille), the U, HCMC, Abbott, Unity(?). Anyway, they can tell you all of them...

Good luck with your process. Make sure your employer doesn't have a bariatric surgery exclusion - if your employer has that rider, it doesn't matter what the insurance company will pay for.

Is it of minnasota?

Is it of minnasota?

I have BCBS of Minnesota

I agree, I have BCBS of Minnesota and I was approved quickly. My husband just finished the 6 months and they only asked for the nutrition consult before approving in two days.

They have been GREAT!

My dr hasn't seen me exactly once a month. He said every 6 or 8 wks was enough. Is this true. What my insurance sent me just says 6 months of supervised weight loss, not so many times. I really don't want this to stop me from being approved. Do you know how strict they are on this. If I go 4 times during the six month period is this good enough?

I was told that you had to be in the office every month. It can be with either a nutritionist or a physician. If it was me, I'd make sure I was there every month and not every 6 weeks.

I was wondering, as long as I go 6 times during the 6 months, am I OK? I went the end of April, end of June. I'm set up for end of July. Then I was planning end of August, end of Sept, and end of Oct. Do you think they will accept this. It was about 2 months between my first and second visit. Or do you think that I even need that end of Oct visit?

I would think it would be okay, but the insurance companies can be such sticklers, it wouldn't surprise me if they said 6 consecutive months.

But, worse case, they don't count the April date and you go 6 consecutive from June - Nov. You would be approved then in Dec.

But, I would certainly try to submit the April - Oct dates and see what happens.

Thank you so much for all your advise. I seem to worry constantly about this because I want it so bad. I;m sure all will end well if I stay on top of things.

I have BCBS MN and am going through my 6 month diet. I haven't lost but a couple of lbs so far. My BMI is right at 50. Does anyone know what their requirements are? Do I have to lose a certain percentage or do they deny or approve alot? Just curious about your experienced with them.

Thanks for any info!

Karen

I have bcbs of MN and I gained weight on my 6 month diet. I was approved in 2 days :confused_smile: dont worry just make sure your dr is taking the notes correctly :smile2:

I was wondering, as long as I go 6 times during the 6 months, am I OK? I went the end of April, end of June. I'm set up for end of July. Then I was planning end of August, end of Sept, and end of Oct. Do you think they will accept this. It was about 2 months between my first and second visit. Or do you think that I even need that end of Oct visit?

I was told by the ins that it is very important to go once a month each of the 6 months and if not I would have to do 6 months after the missed appointment. I have bcbs of mn also like I said. My dr also had someone denied for missing her apt one month and she had to start from the begining.

I think you will be o.k. as well as long as the 6 months are gotten in there. My husband had a gap and it was fine.