Hi. I am 24 and have considered WLS for a long time. I really feel it is the right thing for me and my parents agree. But... they want me to wait until it will be covered under insurance. That sounds great to me, but here's the thing- I was already denied by stupid Kaiser and I am planning to switch to blue cross /shield in October during open enrollment. But I have a feeling they will deny me too or say I have to be a member or a certain amount of time. Anybody have Blue Cross/Shield? What is their deal?

If Blue Shield doesn't work out, I want to self pay. I can afford it only if I go to Mexico. My parents are like nooooo way. They won't listen to me when I try to expain that there are good doctors, you just have to do your homework. I know that if I do go to Mexico, I will have no support and it will piss off my parents. My hubby will support me, but even he is iffy about it. I would love to have everything covered by insurance, but if it can't be, is it worth Mexico? Is it worth infuriating my mom and dad? Please- advice.

Hi. I am 24 and have considered WLS for a long time. I really feel it is the right thing for me and my parents agree. But... they want me to wait until it will be covered under insurance. That sounds great to me, but here's the thing- I was already denied by stupid Kaiser and I am planning to switch to blue cross /shield in October during open enrollment. But I have a feeling they will deny me too or say I have to be a member or a certain amount of time. Anybody have Blue Cross/Shield? What is their deal?

If Blue Shield doesn't work out, I want to self pay. I can afford it only if I go to Mexico. My parents are like nooooo way. They won't listen to me when I try to expain that there are good doctors, you just have to do your homework. I know that if I do go to Mexico, I will have no support and it will piss off my parents. My hubby will support me, but even he is iffy about it. I would love to have everything covered by insurance, but if it can't be, is it worth Mexico? Is it worth infuriating my mom and dad? Please- advice.

I think if you do your homework for awhile they understand more. I went through that too and my family is comfortable somewhat more now. I am also bringing my best friend with me for support which will be nice. Your hubby could go? Since you have a hubby - mom and dad shouldn't be the big concern of ticking them off. Your an adult and they will feel better if you show them all your research! Don't forget to do that. You will hear things good and bad but research a lot yourself! Talk to people personally etc. Good luck to you!

When my hubby and I got surgery we had Blue Cross/Shield and it was almost too easy for us! When I first called about having surgery my Dr's office found out I had Blue Cross and saidt it was the best insurance to cover WLS. That being said, from the time I went for my first consultation to having surgery was a little over a month. It was quick!

I also agree, you're a married adult, while it's important what your parents think the most important thing is you and your hubby (believe me this was a hard lesson I had to learn). If for some reason Blue Shield doesn't work out, do your homework and make an educated decision that's best for YOU!

Thanks for the advice. Does blue shield cover gastric SLEEVE? I live in CA, but what does Arizona say?

I'm not sure if they cover the Sleeve... we actually had Blue Cross of CA because my husbands company was based out of San Fran. Basically, it just had to have pre-authorization. So we discussed the options with the Dr and then he presented that to the insurance. Like I said before it was waaay simple and in the end we only ended up paying about $2000 out of pocket for everything- and that includes the $800 we paid to have COBRA for the month of our surgery (my husband got laid off and we needed COBRA for the extra month to cover the surgeries!)!

Good luck!!

Hi. I am 24 and have considered WLS for a long time. I really feel it is the right thing for me and my parents agree. But... they want me to wait until it will be covered under insurance. That sounds great to me, but here's the thing- I was already denied by stupid Kaiser and I am planning to switch to blue cross /shield in October during open enrollment. But I have a feeling they will deny me too or say I have to be a member or a certain amount of time. Anybody have Blue Cross/Shield? What is their deal?

If Blue Shield doesn't work out, I want to self pay. I can afford it only if I go to Mexico. My parents are like nooooo way. They won't listen to me when I try to expain that there are good doctors, you just have to do your homework. I know that if I do go to Mexico, I will have no support and it will piss off my parents. My hubby will support me, but even he is iffy about it. I would love to have everything covered by insurance, but if it can't be, is it worth Mexico? Is it worth infuriating my mom and dad? Please- advice.

I am so sorry Kaiser denied you. Your BMI must have been on the lower side. If you have Southern California Kaiser I know your BMI has to be 50 or 35-40 with 2 co-morbidities. I know this because I am in the Options Program right now going through Kaiser so. cal.

Both my cousins had the Lap Band done in Tijuana, Mexico with a Dr. Ariel Ortiz and they ADORE him. They rave about how professional and how clean the hospital was. They said that the hospital was better looking then then ones here in the states and that they have all this high tech equipment. I am only going by what they have said to me. They are very happy with their results and I think they only pay $100.00 per fill or for a couple of them. I think that they only paid like $7500.00 for their bands/procedures and hotel and hospital stay and I think the hospital took care of booking everything. I dont know the name of the hospital but I am sure you can google his name and something should pop up. If there is no other way, then Mexico might be the right place for you. But dont go to far away stay as local as you can (TIJUANA or MEXICALI). Good luck, and I know how important it is to have people on your side. Take care

Hey - ask your payroll/benefits office for the group number and phone number of your specific blue shield plan. It varies by state, and the employer benefits vary based on the plan your employer purchased. Even though you are not currently on the blue shield plan, call them, give them the group number and tell them you are considering changing at open enrollment. Then ask them the benefits for WLS and what the coverages are. I have BCBS of Mass and they do cover, but it is different by state. The gastric shield is specificaly excluded on my plan as not being proven yet or somewhat experimental. Hope this helps.

I would at least give it a shot and wait to find out from Blue Shield. That is who I have and everything has went smoothly. Just make sure you go through your PCP for EVERYTHING! There were a few things that didnt get paid for because I didnt have my PCP authorize it first, I thought it all went "under surgery".

If worse comes to worse and you didnt get approved, why don't you see if your parents can help out with the $$$. Tell them what you can afford is Mexico, and if they want otherwise, you need their help. Just a thought. Wouldn't work with my family but, maybe.

I agree with other posters - obviously you want to be respectful towards your parents, but you are an adult and you're married. When I told my mother, I followed it up by saying "I respect you and want to hear your thoughts on this, but just so you know, it doesn't change my decision" and she respected that.

Also, get your parents more involved and educated on the procedure itself. Most times the negativity/fear comes from lack of knowledge. Knowledge really is power lol