Did your hospital have minimum requirements to get DS?
I know this can be a touchy subject but I am wondering if any other hospitals/insurance companies are like mine. Tricare does cover bariatric surgery as long as you fit within their general guidelines. To qualify for surgery you must have a BMI of 40+. To qualify for the DS you must have a 50+ BMI. Patients who have a BMI of 35 with comorbities like sleep apnea or type 2 diabetes also may have surgery.
While I find the DS fascinating, and I will talk to my surgeon about it, I know going into it that I don't fit their requirements. Some people on this site insist that I push for it anyway, and after I feel out my surgeon I just might.
I am wondering if any other pre ops out there are in my position, or if any post ops have experience going against the grain and asking for it anyway.
I posted this on the main forum too for their input. 
HW: 318 Date of Surgery: 3/10/14 SW: 270 CW: 154
Has Tricare changed to allow the DS again? That would be awesome! I doubt you can fight them for a change to the requirement since they aren't like private insurance. I have heard that if you go out to Madigan MTF they will do the DS and don't send you through the Tricare bureaucracy.
--gina
5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
******GOAL*******
Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish?
Join us on the Lightweights Board!
DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny
Excellent!
5'1" -- HW 195/SW 187/GW 115 July 08/CW 121 Dec 2012
******GOAL*******
Starting BMI between 35 and 40ish?
Join us on the Lightweights Board!
DS on Aug 9, 2007 with Dr. Hazem Elariny
Don't settle for less than what you want. Think twice and cut once. Lots of lightweights have had the DS and done well. The 50 BMI is just an arbitrary number your insurance is going to use to try to deny you.
A couple inches make a huge difference in BMI. Do you have poor posture? Make sure you take off your shoes when you are measured too. You want to be as short as possible to jack up your BMI.
