My Insurance was denied....now what?

I am pretty new to this, but my insurance was denied and I will need to pay for it myself.  Any advice about this?

I am so sorry you were denied. I know the feeling. I had to go the self-pay route, too.

I guess the only advise I can offer you is that if you get a loan, think of it as an investment in yourself. You ARE worth it.

We won't be buying a new car for a while, so I think of my surgery as the new car I didn't get. Besides, if our current car should break down, at least now I am healthy enough to walk to where ever I need to go! Fortunately, there are no car problems at this time and I hope it stays that way. You just can't put a price on your health.

I recently spoke with someone at my insurance company and told her about my disappointment when they didn't approve my surgery and how I saved them money, not just on my surgery, but future health care costs in meds, probable future diseases, and who knows what had I stayed morbidly obese. She told me to write a letter to them and actually plea for a rebate/refund! I was shocked to hear her say that! I was planning on writing some kind of letter eventually to hopefully, help those who apply for a VSG. Maybe one day the statistics will prove how successful it is and how low the risks are and how the long-term benefits will save them money down the road when they have healthy clients! It may be too late for me, but eventually, it seems like they will have to approve it and cover it.

For me, though, the main issue was that they didn't want to cover a doctor outside their network or outside Hawaii. I felt very strongly about having the surgery I wanted (VSG) and the doctor I wanted (Dr. C) and going where he was comfortable (unfortunately, San Francisco). I don't like leaving Maui, but I knew my best chances were with him in CA.

I don't regret any of it and I have a very supportive family who helped us financially. I wish you success on your journey. Sometimes you just have to make your dreams come true!
((hugs))
Malama pono

I'd say kick some insurance booty!!!

What was the reason for denial?

They said that my insurance does not allow any treatment for obesity., but I think they missed the whole point, I'm trying to treat my diabetes.   I'm going to appeal, and someone emailed me a link to a letter to format mine after. 

I never thought of it like a new car before.  I like that idea.  I guess if you have to self pay you could think of it as spreading it out over 25-30 more years of life.  It might be tax deductible too.  I will check into that.

Both of you had the VSG and it looks like you have each been very succesful with your weight loss -- congratulations!  I read up on VSG but it doesn't seem like many people do that procedure.  Did either of you consider a lapband and if so, what made you pick a vsg instead?

 

Really does seem like insurance missed the whole point. They'll save thousands on you in the long run.

If your out of pocket medical expenses are so much of a percentage of your income, then it's tax deductible. For me, I paid Dr. C $4000.00 and then I had various medical and dental expenses for the family(we're a family of 5). So it was tax deductible.

When I went to my consultation, I only knew of the RNY and LapBand. I wanted info on the lapband as it didn't seem as extreme. I left my appt. with a wealth of knowledge on 4 different WLS procedures. When I heard the part about the grehlin(hunger hormone) production being significantly reduced with the VSG, I was sold!!!

Good luck on your quest............

aloha,

michelle