I'm self paying, but my insurance co. called....
That was my thought as well. I'm hoping that they aren't flagging my account for close monitoring now. I am pretty cynical of them too !!
5' 10" HW= 327 SW=319 lbs CW=200 (lowest was 180) GW=170
No regrets with my DS!!!
Open DS with Dr. Anthone - October 14, 2011
Ventral Hernia repair/panniculectomy/hysterectomy - Nov 2012;
Bowel Blockage due to hysterectomy and adhesions - Feb 2013;
Ventral Hernia repair with mesh - Dec 2013
I was a self-pay. My health insurance company, part of the Blue Cross corporate monstrosity, does cover the DS. But it would have required so much trouble that once I decided to have the DS, I chose to get it done right away and pay for it myself.
They did pay for all the pre-op testing, and they even paid for my post-op testing, labs, etc. They probably did not realize I was heading toward the DS.
But they obviously kept some kind of tabs on me because when a renewal time came up, they cancelled our policy. Even though I was now healthy, with my co-morbidities resolved, they canceled me. That meant my wife and our then four-year-old son were cut off, too. It seemed ridiculous, now that I posed significantly less risk to them and their bottom line.
But they told me that did not matter. All that mattered, they said, was that I was a middle-aged man who had recently undergone major surgery. Never mind that I had paid into their coffers for many years and took relatively little out. Now I had what they considered a "pre-existing condition." Even though what I really had was a "disappeared condition."
It makes no sense that they would rather pay for a lifetime of treating diabetes (which I did not have but was heading toward) or a heart attack, or any of the other problems posed by being MO, than pay to stop all that. But that's the healthcare industry's backwards corporate mindset.
Fortunately, I live in a progressive state which does not allow its people to go without insurance because of "pre-existing conditions." The State of Maryland gave us a policy. I pay the state, and they make the same Blue Cross subsidiary which fired me take care of my family and me. AND, I pay less and get full services. I am able to get every test possible to make sure I remain healthy and they have to pay for it. To Blue Cross I say, "Too F-ing bad for you!"
So, beware when your insurance company begins poking around.
Michael
They did pay for all the pre-op testing, and they even paid for my post-op testing, labs, etc. They probably did not realize I was heading toward the DS.
But they obviously kept some kind of tabs on me because when a renewal time came up, they cancelled our policy. Even though I was now healthy, with my co-morbidities resolved, they canceled me. That meant my wife and our then four-year-old son were cut off, too. It seemed ridiculous, now that I posed significantly less risk to them and their bottom line.
But they told me that did not matter. All that mattered, they said, was that I was a middle-aged man who had recently undergone major surgery. Never mind that I had paid into their coffers for many years and took relatively little out. Now I had what they considered a "pre-existing condition." Even though what I really had was a "disappeared condition."
It makes no sense that they would rather pay for a lifetime of treating diabetes (which I did not have but was heading toward) or a heart attack, or any of the other problems posed by being MO, than pay to stop all that. But that's the healthcare industry's backwards corporate mindset.
Fortunately, I live in a progressive state which does not allow its people to go without insurance because of "pre-existing conditions." The State of Maryland gave us a policy. I pay the state, and they make the same Blue Cross subsidiary which fired me take care of my family and me. AND, I pay less and get full services. I am able to get every test possible to make sure I remain healthy and they have to pay for it. To Blue Cross I say, "Too F-ing bad for you!"
So, beware when your insurance company begins poking around.
Michael
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