There are some alternatives for coverage that you might not know of!

Hello Fellow Arkansans!!!! I am a stay at home mom, and my husband's work does not offer insurance. I was told that I did not qualify for Medicaid unless I was pregnant or if my son belonged to someone other than my husband! Can you believe this?!?! Well I have emailed a couple of you, and I am just going nuts trying to figure out how to pay for this surgery. I am NOT financially able at all. I have several things that are going on with me that qualify me for surgery......with the first being my high BMI. I really think it is unfair that this is medicaid's rules and that Arkansas rehab will only help with a bmi of 55 or higher. Well, I got angry and decided to call Congressman Marion Berry's office today. There was a wonderful lady there who told me that I needed to go ahead and apply for the medicaid and sign a HIPPA release and return it to her. Then she can send in a congressional letter of interest to medicaid on my behalf, so if they turn me down, their office might be able to help me. She also told me of something called CHIP. That stands for Comprehensive Health Insurance Program. It is administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield. It is basically a program that offers insurance to uninsured Arkansans at a lower premium, but maybe a little higher deductable. Also, she sent me a pamphlet on a program called Arkansas Health Care Access Foundation, Inc. It provides DONATED medical care to low income, uninsured arkansans. I think that it is awful that these programs are available and none of us are aware of them!!!!! It is also sad that no one in the DHS offices or other insurance offices do not tell us about these other option. I don't have a lot of extensive knowledge of these programs, but if anyone would like to email me, feel free to do so at [email protected] I am so glad that I contacted their office. I am now persuing the medicaid and hopefully I will get somewhere. I feel like if I don't get the surgery soon, I will die! I hope that I have been of some help to someone out there. Lord knows I have done PLENTY of research on my own, only to find out all of this after just one phone call! Hope you all are doing well on your journey to a healthier you! God Bless!

Michelle, I have CHIP insurance since my husband retired and we found ourselves without it and no one would insure us. Our premiums are not low at all. We pay $434 a month each and our premimuns are going to $643 in July. We have $1000 deductible, too. There is an option for lower premimuns--$5000 and $10,000 deductible! They will insure everyone, though. They do pay for WLS with medical necessity. Good Luck. Victoria Smith

Michelle, Way to go girl. I'm proud of you for not just setting by and letting people walk on you. this will also help lot's of people maybe even me if rehab say's no even after Doc. Bakers consultation report which I will see him June 12th. So wish me luck I really need it. My BMI is 57. Hugs Debbie

Hi Michelle, I have worked for DHS in Texas and Arkansas and have never been told about those programs. These were news to me. I, too, tried Ark rehab, but of course just months before I applied they had upped the BMI index. I can't qualify for the programs you mentioned, because I work for the state and have their insurance coverage. If I want to have fertility treatment so I can bring a "litter" of children into this world or need treatment for impotency the insurance will pay for it. But they won't cover obesity surgery even if it is matter of life or death. Is that not stupid? So much of our society, including insurance companies, see overweight people as lazy and and have an "if they'll just get their fat asses off the couch and exercise, they'll loose weight" attitude. It's just like I told my mother, I can loose the weight. I've lost probably a thousand pounds since I was 16, but I can't keep it off and when I gain it back, it brings it's cousins with it. I am looking at trying to get the money to have surgery done in Mexico. The bank turned me down for a loan, so I'm trying to convince my mother to loan me the money. She's terrified of me going to Mexico, though.