insurance woes

Hi everyone, ' Well since my last posting I have not accomplished much except finding out that the doc ( Simpson) I was  checking into wants me to pay 600 in advance and they would try to get the surgury approved then. I have Mercy care through the state insurance. Well the docs office (Simpson) told me mercy care does not cover lapband surgury at all, but yet I find a patient on his list with mercycare insurance. I am on the search now for a physician  who can work with my access insurance. Access told me I should call the 5 other plans  to see if any of them cover gastric surgury. I did see on the board here that Simpson and Juarez have worked with APIPA So if I can get a docs office to take that insurance I have to call Access and tell them I want to switch plans then after a denial I can switch to a different one. This all takes time. The lady at Mercy care told me to  go to the ER and they would have to fix it but I know better than that , they will give me pain pills and refer me to a bariatric doc. Been there done that . I cant believe how much trouble I am having with this for god sakes  my tube is in my pelvis and my port is floating all over I am in constant aching pain, I have no restriction as there is no fluid in my band. So how  can they refuse me. It sure is a hassle to get a doc after moving out of the state (wisconsin)where I had the surgury. Nobody wants to touch me , damn my sister  for throwing us out in colorado  I had found a Doc who would fix it for me and  Colorado medicaid approved it right after I got my daughter and I back to Arizona. Mercy care was questioning why a doc wanted 600 to take me on as a patient. Does anyone know of  all the insurances that the state has which one might cover the lapband and  what doc may take it ???  I sure would appreciate  some feedback. Has anyone ever had  there tubing come apart from the port??? Could this be a bad band ?  Is it wrecked because they may have used  dye  when they did the portogram I had in 2004   the doc in Colorado said that  if they used dye  it may have clogged it as dye is thick and sticky  ???? Law suit ?????  Hel;p Help Help  Sue     275/191/160    I was down to 174  but I have gained some weight back   :(

I am sorry that you have had so many problems with your weight loss journey.  I am pretty sure that the only Bariatric program in the entire state that takes your insurance and does NOT require a program fee is Bridges St Luke's with Dr. Fang and Dr. Juarez. Good luck!

well I am going to switch from mercy care to apipa   dr Juarez said they do work with that plan or healthchoice. So  access is sending me a denial to switch then I need to appeal it because I need surgury and  mercy care wont pay it .Then  I can switch to apipa and  they do work with gastric lapbanding. Generally I would have to wait  till next year to switch but  with the denial I can then appeal it and then switch to apipa  silly silly silly  but  I will do what I have to do  to get this surgury covered as my tube hanging in my pelvis is not good and the port herniating yikes  thanks for your input   Sue Taake