New to the board

Hello, I have been following the board for a while now. I am thinking of having the surgery. I am 5'3 245. Can anyone tell me how much does the insurance cover? I have Bluecross Bluesheild HMO. I have been thinking of having it done for over a year now, but I keep chickening out. I have so many questions. I have high blood pressure, asthma and high cholesterol. thanks. Joanne

Hi Joanne, Welcome to the board. This is the place for all your questions, please don't hesitate to ask. We're a great group and try our best to help. I had my surgery in July of 2003, my insurance carrier was Bluecross. They did pay for my surgery (I did have to pay a $500.00 co-pay). Each Bluecross plan is different so you might want to check and see what your policy covers. Some words of advice, read as much as you can, go to a support group and ask lots of questions. Best wishes on your journey, Mary Lou

Welcome to the boards Joanne! I am new myself and have found everyone to be absolutely amazing! I agree, read a lot (as you have been doing) and go to the Support Meetings. Go to different meetings through different surgeons. It's really important to go on instinct and your inner voice! That's what I'm doing! Good luck to you! Tara

Hi Joanne, Welcome! We are glad to have you join us . I can only repeat what the others have said. Research, ask questions, go to support group meetings and use this site to its fullest. I have Anthem Blue Cross/ Blue Shield with the State of CT and it paid for all of my surgery except for the psych and nutrion consults. They might have paid for those but I didn't submit them.....(actually had Healthnet at that point). Call your insurance unit and ask them directly what they cover and if they cover gastric bypass surgery. They should be able to look at your policy and give you that information. If you are having the lap band you might have more trouble with insurance. Best thing is to check directly with them. Have you picked a doctor yet? Hope you will be able to come to the get together on June 12th. You will meet alot of people who can answer questions for you. Take care and don't be a stranger!! Linda

I am thinking of Danbury hospital. Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I would also like to know, how long does the whole thing take right up until the time you have the surgery? Joanne

Joanne - Welcome!! Each doctor has a different schedule with respect to how long the process takes. Some doctors and/or insurance companies require a period of dieting, others not so much. For me, I went down to my dr. (in NYC) for my first visit in August and was given a date for 11/4 -- I was unprepared for it to be that quick!! I needed to get pre-op testing done (psych, nutritionist, GI) & then waited for the insurance company to approve. It was less than 3 months once I went to the dr.'s office. Good luck to you. You can gain a lot of information and support from the people on this board. Glad you're on board! Kathy F.

Hi Joanne, Welcome to the board. I am new here myself As far as how long the whole procedure takes, from first contact with the doctor's office til date of surgery is conservatively about 6-9 months. It seems like an eternity, especially if you are like me. When I get my mind set to do something I want to do it right away but the closer I get to the surgery I am thankful for the time to prepare myself both physically and mentally.

Hello and welcome. I can't help you with your insurance question, but wanted to welcome you just the same. Please ask whatever questions you need to. You'll find out like I did that there are some great people here. Maggie

Hi Joanne, And welcome to our friendly little group! I would get packages from several physicians that you think you would be interested in, who are members of your insurance company. This will speed up your process, as you will need to fill out lots of paperwork, and have several appointments before you will get a surgical date. Hope you can make it to the party on June 12th - we'd all love to meet you. God Bless, Kathy Bilodeau Lap RNY 12/3/03 -85 lbs.