hello everyone, im kinda of new to this but i desparately want some more information on this lap band. Here is my dilemna that my BMI is only 42.1. Now i read I have to have co morbidities to have kaiser pay for this surgery. Not sure if i have any. Im not quite sure what that is exactly. How do I go abouts getting tested or diagnosed to see if i have co morbidities. Any advice/assistance/guidance is much appreciated.

P.S. anxiousiosly awaiting...

Hello, What they mean when they say you have to have co morbidities is that you have to have a chronic illness such as diabetes,high blood pressure,or sleep apnea. Those are the three that I know of. You need to check with you insurance to see if anything else comes under their guidlines, all insurances are different. Hope this has helped you and the best of luck to you on your journey.Hope everything goes smoothly for you. It can get a little frustrating going thru all the steps but just hang in there. Good luck !! :scared2:

hello everyone, im kinda of new to this but i desparately want some more information on this lap band. Here is my dilemna that my BMI is only 42.1. Now i read I have to have co morbidities to have kaiser pay for this surgery. Not sure if i have any. Im not quite sure what that is exactly. How do I go abouts getting tested or diagnosed to see if i have co morbidities. Any advice/assistance/guidance is much appreciated.

P.S. anxiousiosly awaiting...

Where are you located?

As far as I know all of Kaiser follows the national standards. BMI of 40+ with no co-morbids (meaning you don't have to have any), or a BMI of 35+ with 2 co-morbids.

I'm in Northern CA and that's the standard my program followed. You need to talk to your PCP and ask how to start the process. My PCP "referred" me to the Seminar and then I was in the program. You can call your local Kaiser's Bariatric Surgery Dept to find out what you need to do. They are usually in with General Surgery, at least mine is. You can find the number on the website directory.

You do have to be a Kaiser member for at least 1 year prior to joining the "program" for WLS. Kaiser will pay for everything but your co-pays.

If you have any more questions, let me know.

I'm a Kaiser member also. To tell you the truth I didn't even check with them I started with a BMI of 38 with no co-morbs. From reading on here I've seen several Kaiser SoCal members mentioning an outrageuos 50 BMI being required! The best thing would be to check with your doc and be ready to fight! Good luck!!

Hi,

I actually found this forum last night by finding this thread in google. Hopefully it helps!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f8/kaiser-southern-california-pays-lap-band-86793/#post1187840

50 BMI is an awfully high minimum, I hope I don't have to drive all the way up to Orange/Anaheim for 6 months for classes. I'll have to leave work 2 hours early if they're at 6 or 7!

Hello all. I am a southern california Kaiser pt. And YES its true. Your BMI has to be 50+ or if less you have to have co-morbidities. You also have to do 6 month classes. I began this whole process with Kaiser in September 2008when I was referred then went to orientation in November 2008 and started the classes in January 2009. Its a long process, but its totally worth it. They show you how to count calories and Protein and it will help you suceed in the end. Good luck all. I will be done with classes in June. Wish me luck!!

~M