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Exclusion Wording-Do I Have a Chance?



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Can anyone tell me if I stand a chance on approval if my policy says the following? I have Anthem Blue Cross Blue Sheild.

The following section indicates items that are

excluded from benefit consideration, and are not

considered Covered Services. This information is

provided as an aid to identify certain common

items that may be misconstrued as Covered

Services, but is in no way a limitation upon, or a

complete listing of, such items considered not to

be Covered Services.

We do not provide benefits for procedures,

equipment, services, supplies or charges:

for bariatric surgery, regardless of the

purpose it is proposed or performed.

This includes but is not limited to Roux-en-Y

(RNY), Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery or

other gastric bypass surgery (surgical

procedures that reduce stomach capacity

and divert partially digested food from the

duodenum to the jejunum, the section of

the small intestine extending from the

duodenum), or Gastroplasty, (surgical

procedures that decrease the size of the

stomach), or gastric banding procedures.

Complications directly related to bariatric

surgery that result in an Inpatient stay or an

extended Inpatient stay for the bariatric

surgery, as determined by Us, are not

covered. This exclusion applies when the

bariatric surgery was not a Covered Service

under this plan or any previous one of Our

Plans, and it applies if the surgery was

performed while the Member was covered by

a previous carrier/self-funded plan prior to

coverage under this Certificate. Directly

related means that the Inpatient stay or

extended Inpatient stay occurred as a direct

result of the bariatric procedure and would

not have taken place in the absence of the

bariatric procedure. This exclusion does not

apply to conditions including but not

limited to: myocardial infarction; excessive

nausea/vomiting; pneumonia; and

exacerbation of co-morbid medical

conditions during the procedure or in the

immediate post-operative time frame.

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Yeah I am thinking you might want to shop around for other insurance or go self pay. It sounds like they don't want to have anything to do with it.

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Ya my INS had an exclusion... i ended up fiancing it... i got a loan from BofA... its only $250 a month... so i think of it as a car payment... but forking out 18,000 hurt.... its gonna be so worth it in the end ... im only 4 days post op :eek:

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Hi, this type of exclusion is through your employer. Athem BC BS does cover this type of surgery (I have them for my insurance) but your employer can request that certain services not be covered (to save costs). You may want to talk to someone in HR and see if this policy will be changed. Good luck!

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I'm Anthem BC/BS in Ohio. Same wording. They say No way. I am self paying....sorry to be the bringer of bad news....

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I also have anthem BCBS, and mine was covered. I agree with Kegette, your employer is probably the reason it is excluded. Good Luck!

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Not only are they not covering the bariatric surgery but, if you self pay and then have to go into the hospital for any complications that THEY determine to be related to the surgery they won't cover that either. I too say talk to your HR or shop for another insurance. Sorry.

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    • 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. 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
      1. This update has no replies.
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