Beginner with 2 questions (so far)

1) I will be having my psych eval in a few weeks. What kind of questions are asked? What should I expect? 2) My medical records history is thin as I have been fortunate to have avoided almost all the comorbidities. I do not need to take medication for anything and so rarely go to the doctor. My BMI is almost 50. I have faithfully been on an exercise program for the last 2 years. Will that cut it with my insurance company Coventry?

well, I did a few searches and was able to answer my first question so never mind!   I haven't found anything on my 2nd question. My Coventry plan does cover lapband (I called 3 times to confirm)   but how difficult are they to get them to say yes?

Most insurance companies have a guideline for approval for and they are pretty much a wide range of things that must all fall into place.  I would recommend caling your insurance company and inquire as to under what cir****tances they cover lapband then you will have a better idea of what you are looking at.  I had to have a BMI over 40 with no comorbidities but details of 2 years in a row of monitored dieting.  The dieting part was the hardest because I only had help a couple of times over the past few years but I wrote it all out and got approved my first try.  I have Blue Cross Blue Shield.  Good luck you could also call your surgeon I'm sure they know what your insurance requires.

I didn't have a medical history as well.  I was healthy as a horse--and just as big!  I wrote a letter explaining why I didn't have a history to provide--being uninsured for years as a grad student, not getting meaningful help from medical professionals when I did go, concerns about being put on diet drugs (can you say phen-fen?), etc.  I did list diet attempts such as Weigh****cher, Nutrisystem (included copies of payments), etc.  Maybe having such a high BMI (66) made it a no brainer, but I was approved. So much of it depends on the insurance company, Good luck, Sally

Thanks for you responses. That is the information I needed to hear. I hope I get approved on the first attempt but I think it might take a little more effort.

I have Coventry Insurance.  I submitted lots and lots of doctor documentation to Coventry thru Dr. Eibes' office.  I contacted my old doctors in IL and had them send copies of my weight loss attemps from my files.  My PCP in IL sent my files from as far back as 1988, when I was an overweight teen!  I think it helped that I had documentation from my IL and IA PCP, my Endocrinologist, and from the dietary/nutrition dept from the hospital in IL where I had several dietary consults/appts.  Eibes' office submitted the info on Wed, Aug 22.  Coventry approved the request on Fri, Aug 24.  I am still shocked at how quickly my request for Lap Band was approved. 

Good Luck!

Yeah, that's my hope, but I am worried my lack of documentation may hurt my chances. Thank you for your response. Dr Eibes didn't seen too concerned and so I am hoping my BMI and personal diet history will pull me through. I see you are scheduled for Oct. Good luck and I hope you will keep us posted.