With a long history of diets and yo-yo loss/weight gains, now BCBS wants me to do it again for 6 months by their stringent rules. Then if you succeed, and I know I will, to fall below the qualifying BMI, you do not get approval. You repeat the same cycle gaining it back later on. A person would be better off to fail at the diet for 6 months. BCBS would rather pay years and ultimately high amounts towards claims related to the serious consequences of obesity than help a customer with a courageous decision to seek a surgical weight loss alternative. That doesn’t even make good business sense. Of course it does if you die - they win.

I have Federal BCBS and so far haven't had any issues. I am not required to do a 6 month diet and I only need to have an approved psych eval and a bmi over 40. But I do have one question, who is responsible for being sure all the paper work is submitted? I have scheduled the appts and today my PCP said she will write the letter today and send my records. Should I call to follow up and be a pest?

Alabama state law prohibits how much insurance companies can charge employers who purchase the coverage. So in a way, you already have socialized medicine down there. There's no competition, so you're stuck. Sorry; call your congressman.

I have Premera BCBS and didn't have any trouble. Have you done any diet programs in the last two years? I had done Jenny Craig and was able to go there to get my weigh-in data and it was accepted by BCBS even though it wasn't medically supervised and even though my weight for part of that period fell below the minimum BMI.

Double check with BCBS and your PCP, and find out if the 6 months of "supervised" dieting would include documented past attempts, if you have any?

I have BCBS in New York, and because I had tried Weight Watchers in the past few years, and my PCP knew about it, it qualified as the 6 months of supervised diet.

Of course, then I had to do the bariatric surgeon's required 3 month pre-op diet requirements also.

I have Federal BCBS and so far haven't had any issues. I am not required to do a 6 month diet and I only need to have an approved psych eval and a bmi over 40. But I do have one question, who is responsible for being sure all the paper work is submitted? I have scheduled the appts and today my PCP said she will write the letter today and send my records. Should I call to follow up and be a pest?:biggrin:

Funny you mention that, the hospital performing my surgery as a group called LifeHelp. They assist with making the appointments and follow up to make sure all of the documents are sent to the Surgeon. I have to admit this whole process was pretty seamless for me.

Also, they are super nice! I give them :biggrin:

Edited September 18, 200916 yr by junbug178