What would you tell a politician who could help you????

Hi Friends! It's me again, your trusty pest, continuing to ask you for info that will aid in my lobbying the government on a local, state and national level to eliminate obesity discrimination AND to make insurance coverage for surgical weight loss a mandatory benefit. Even though I'm in Alabama I am working to lobby all 50 states. It's pay it forward time..........can you please, please help me by answering this question. If you could sit face to face with anyone in power and make a difference.....what would you say to them about WLS and how it will change or has changed your life? Hugs, Rona Your Bari-Godmother

OH Dear Rona, OH Please do not get me started on this one.. lol This is comming from someone that did fight with her insurance company for three years just for the right for my surgery !! Talk about personal meetings,phone calls, meeting with the board of comminishners, Head of insurance officals .. I sat pre-op infront of them with copys of bills from the drug store, holding list of medicans that I was on, along with the side affects that they did or could cause, How ofen they were to be taken, along with the prejected and past cost to them, I sat there with being attached to an oxygen tube trying to just breath, I handed letters to them about the cost of my oxygen machine C PAP machine, letters from doctors staiting the facts of other Gastic Bypass patience after surgery never had to continue them.. I sat and told them that I honestly felt that if a person was denyed WLS then how I felt that this was a case of medical discrination !! If a person wasd dianoised with cancer, would they deny them treatment ?? if they needed and showed them that they needed to have a heart by pass would they deny them that to give them a better life to look forwards to ?? What about a simple back strain ?? would they deny them the treatment to become healther to come back to work ?? They talked about how many people die from the gastric bypass, I showed print outs of how many die from cancer even with treatment, how many die each day after the cost of a heart by pass, a percentage of how many die each day from being over weight and the medical conditions that they had due to obeasity !! I told them that me wanting to take the chance to make myself healther is yes only a chance, but honestly so is any other medical condition.. I wanted a chance to live a longer and healther life, it is no different then someone wanting to have chemo treatments or dialiouse treatments. So I ask them if they would deny one of them the chance to live ?? would they even concider denying them treatment ?? Then why would they even concider denying me the treatment to give me the chance to live a little longer and healther life ?? That I honestly felt and still feel that denying a person that meets all the required medical conditions to have the gastric bypass is discrimation .. I sence had my surgery done July 21.03, I have contacted the insurance company showing them pictures and an update of how much my medical condition has improved !! I am down now 165 pounds, I no longer use an oxygen machine, or C PAP, I am no longer on any of the 16 meds that I was on due to cronic pain, I have sent them several thank you letters to let them know what a differance this surgery has made in my life, and to just let them know how thankful I am that I was given the chance to have a normal life to live now.. and most of all how thank full that I am that they allowed me the surgery.. Audrey