Ok, I want to get the lap band and doctor told me today that he will refer me to a clinic that will take my insurance, the only thing is, the clinic is 6hrs away. I want to get this done but need to know how many days it takes before they will do the surgeory ex:what are the steps and how long for each step?:rolleyes2:

welcome to the board!!

first thing I would suggest doing is to call your insurance to make sure they cover the surgery. if they do find out if there are any other surgeons in your area that they cover and then attend the info seminars held my most doctors. you insurance/surgeon will be able to tell you what is required and generally how long it will take. some insurance require different test and some dont require much at all...all insurances and plans are different so you have to call and find out what your specific plans requires.

good luck!

Well, you have options. You can choose a provider who will file an insurance claim on your behalf so your out of pocket expense won't be so much....

or you can simply pay for it yourself.

The first step is to contact your insurance company to see if the procedure is covered. There is a person at the doc's office who will go to bat for you when it comes to your insurance.

I was seeing a doctor locally and after approval found out they were out of network and I would have to come up with $3000 upfront. yikes! So I called my insurance and the closest in network doctor is 3 hours away. So I went to that appointment and found out that I have met my deductible and the insurance will cover 100%. So yes it is a pain for me to do the drive, but it saved me $3000.

Call your insurance yourself and find out the specifics.

Good luck to you.