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

Being a new "post op" the biggest benefit has been the level of energy I have. The more "good" results I get the more I want to move and exercise and make it come off.....it's also helping with the self-esteem issues. (Slowly - but surely). I would tell them that it's generally cheaper in the long run.....it can cut the cost of later hospitalization and medication by helping people to get into a healthier life style. Thanks and good luck!

I'd want to discuss how unfair people suffering from obesity are treated. (1) They can't get insurance to cover any programs to help them lose weight. Some people can't afford Physicians weight loss, Optifast or similar programs. (2) Some reach a point that the weight has taken over our lives but we can't get insurance to pay for the surgery which is their our chance. (3) Once we have the surgery insurance companies will not cover us unless we are on a group policy. (4) Where does the discrimination stop? (5) If 60% of people in this country are obese why isn't there more research funding to find a solution? To be honest I think many people have this surgery for cosmetic reasons, but even those may someday gain weight until it takes over their lives. Yo-yo dieting is a sure fire way to keep gaining weight and destroying the metabolism. I could have spent a lot of time and went into more details but I think you get the general idea and can fle**** out.

To be honest with you, I think the biggest problem is harassment. It is very hard to prove. How do you prove you weren't hired bcause of your size. This is an issue that plagues me. I am a paralegal by trade and I have argued cases and I am well knowledged in my field, however, I am always passed over for jobs that I know I am qualified because I am not something to look at. I would ask how you can make this harassment stop? But in reality, you can't control anyone. If there is a law passed it would have to be something similar to the tax break for hiring african americans and the ratios within the work place. Maybe place stricter rules on insurance companies that have minimal limitations with four months of counseling. The problem is getting help and having the money to help. When you are fat, you have trouble getting help and if you can't work, you have no money. Hope this helps.

If I had the chance to speak to someone in public office about my wls experience it would be as follows: The community needs to looks at serious obesity as the disease that it really is (and not some self induced condition by lazy people who overeat) There have been rapid discoveries in science to support the fact that tendencies towards obesity are actually pre-determined and studies on chemicals (such as ghrelin) have proven this to be true. The amounts of dollars spent on illnesses caused by obesity far outweigh the cost of this much needed surgery. Personally, I have been obese for thirty years and have had uncontrolled hypertension. Last year I started to have the beginning of heart problems and had an abnormal ekg and very slight heart enlargement caused by years of hypertension. Since my surgery 7 weeks ago - my blood pressure has been the lowest it has been in 30 years and I am now off all blood pressure medicines and diueretics. I thank God for this surgery and my continuing doctor and medical bills will be a thing of the past.

I would ask them to think back on the darkest time of their life...the point where they weren't sure if they were going to make it or not...when they were covered over with grief, and despair. Now imagine that someone told you at that moment that there was something that could be done to lift you out of that space, to help you get your happiness, hell, your LIFE back again. Now imagine it being yanked away from you, being told sorry, you have to stay down in that pit. That's what cancellation of the WLS benefit will be like for thousands of people. Kelle