Do your part to mandate ins. pays for surgery!

I know this is lengthy, but I feel important, for all of us. Dr. Celio Burrowes told us at our support group meeting last Sat. that soon he would be meeting with a state representative to work on bill that hopefully will be introduced in time to allow discussion on the floor in the 2005 session. They hope to have a law that mandates insurance carriers to pay for surgery if medically necessary. He helped to word a prior law for Ga. but it was apparently not strong enough....this time they hope for a mandate. I can't remember the legislator's name, but Dr. B. has performed WLS on one of her sisters as well as another family member. When the time comes, we all must be at the capitol and I know we all will. In the meantime, begin to write your congressman, weekly, monthly; call their offices to express your opinion. I work for Fulton County and have found out from our Human Resources Department that the Ga. Dept. of Community Health, www.dch.state.ga.us, is the entity that chooses which insurance companies are offered to us. I don't have full details about how it all works yet, but I will. Our Human Resources Dept. encouraged me to get in touch with that organization to express my opinion. Remember even if you've had the surgery, your tummy tuck will not be covered either, if companies exclude WLS, since it was a part of the treatment "package", so to speak. It's never too early to begin to flood all organizations involved with our needs. There are too many people who are not as lucky as some of us...those that have waited and waited and now....to be turned away. If every WLS patient in the state wrote letters and all their family wrote letters, I just KNOW it would have an impact. Do your part to help others. It doesn't have to be lengthy, just heartfelt. Thanks for your attention.

I am in this very situation right now, if I don't get surgery before Dec. 31st; I am out of luck so to speak. So tell me what I need to do so that I and my family can do our part. I think even my children would like to write a letter or two. Thanks Dawn

You got it Joyce! Lets make a big splash!! Count me in God Bless, Tiffany.