I have UHC and live in Northern Colorado. I was wondering if anyone out there who has UHC can recoomend the doc they used. I am starting to research doctors that my ins may cover, i thought that my ins wouldnt cover but now there is a possibility that they may so i thought i better start researching docs in the event that they will. any suggestions and/or experiences would be helpful thanks.

I have UHC and went through Dr. Johnell in Greeley. I would recommend his program. I was just banded on 1/22. So far, so good. Good luck!

Deb

how did you start the process and how long did it take for you from start to finish? did you find that uhc was easy to work with? i have researched dr j a little bit but not extensively. how did you get info from uhc on what their requirements are etc...thanks for your help!

I went to an info session in May 08. I then started a 6 month supervised weight loss and nutrition program with my doctor and dietician. Dr. Johnell has a dietician you can use, but I used one outside. I had my consult with Dr. Johnell in July 08. I had to lose 10% of my access weight prior to surgery. They call and check up on you regularly. He also requires other tests some for everyone and others based on health. I had to have a sleep study, labs, ekg, and met with his psychologist for a psych evaluation. It is about 3 hours of filling in bubbles for two tests and talking with him. I would just call your health insurance and ask them what their requirements are, but Dr. Johnell's staff can check for you also. I did have a little different situation because my insurance changed on Jan 1st 09 and the new plan does not cover bariatric surgery, unlike my previous one, Sloans Lake Cofinity. I am covered through my husband and he talked to his HR and they didn't want to take benefits away, so they said they would cover it. It took about 8 months from start to finish and everything went very smoothly. It seems from what I hear that after it has been approved by insurance or you can cash pay everything can go pretty fast.