Hello. I was reading the threads about insurance & financing when I read one bander's thread and it got me to thinking. Her insurance wouldn't cover WLS, but it would cover her hiatal hernia repair. She discussed this w/ her surgeon and he agreed to put a lap band in place while fixing her hernia for a much reduced fee. I have seen other threads posted on here that talk about having hernias repaired while also having the lap band put in place. Many people (including the surgeons) look at the procedure as WLS w/ the hernia repair "tagging along for the ride." What if it was looked upon as a hernia repair w/ WLS incorporated??? It is worth a shot for us self-payers to see if insurance companies do cover hiatal hernia repairs and then ask the surgeon if s/he would be willing to put a band in place at a reduced cost.

I didn't have a hiatal hernia. At one point it was thought I did, though. I called my insurance company and was told that if the surgeon was on my plan they would pay for the hernia repair only. They would not pay 100% of the surgical center or anesthesiologist and only whatever was considered "fair and standard" for the hernia repair itself as far as the surgeon went. As it turned out, it didn't matter. When Dr. Hart did the surgery there was absolutely no hiatal hernia.