Yep.
And, for good measure, I was looking for a good place to interject some contrarian thinking, if only to make the point that we're all unique with our own opinions. This was something that someone had shared earlier elsewhere:

"I don't feel it {WLS} should be paid for {by Medicaid}. I've been on medicaid before and thought about surgery when I was. But now that I actually have it I know that I wouldn't have been able to afford everything else that comes with having the surgery. The vitamins and supplements, the appointments, the gas money spent, the daycare paid.  I can barely afford it now and my husband has excellent insurance and works at John Deere.  Plus if you are poor and on medicaid I would suggest getting a Good job that you can actually pay your bills with and that has it's own insurance before worrying about having a surgery that you have to take off of work for to make you even more broke! I'm sorry if this isn't the answer you were looking for but I don't think people think about things before they jump into them."

"I've been in both situations and thought long and hard about all my options and how things would be if I had made other choices.  My life with 3 kids broke and no job would have been hell if I would have had surgery when I was on medicaid.  Others should think about that too before they try to push to keep it paid for by medicaid.  I hope this made you think a little different as well."

"I bet the reason most are non compliant is because of all the cost that people don't think about. The cost of vitamins are expensive and if they are like me i can't tolerate them and I've been through 10 diff multivitamins, calciums, and protiens supplements and bars.  plus the iron and b-12 complex. Then the gas to drive to these appointments and daycare costs are ridiculous. So I don't blame people for being non compliant.  They probably aren't doing it just to be non compliant they probably just can't afford it."

There are thousands of different perspectives and stories, of course, for thousands of different individuals, each with their own particular set of health and cost specifics. Taking on ANY major project (and WLS is certainly a major project) is likely to be easier to do if/once one is better off financially. The flip side, of course, is that disability is often a major impediment toward becoming better off financially. 

What do any of you think?

 

Good news.
I just met with bariatric center staff (including Kari at Dr. LaMaster's office), and we're starting to get coordinated. More info to come by next week, but for now, here are some things you can do:

1) Start doing background research on these individuals here:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Committees/Committee.aspx? id=53
This is the rules review committee. These elected officials will be influential in the near future. More details later.  If you could organize any research on what types of health related bills they might have voted for or against in the past, that could prove useful.

2) Share your full story!
Click here to tell your full story (as you can at this stage of your journey):
www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/members/profile-admin/upda te-survey.php
This is behind the MyOH tab, under "Survey".
Please go into as much detail as you can about any expenses or lost work productivity or lost taxpayer contributions that you feel have resulted from morbid obesity. Medications, their names and possible costs. Health conditions. Lost productivity.  We're going to be compiling these stories and sharing with lawmakers. The survey above was just one tool to help guide individuals toward before, or before & after stories, wherein we could collect as many histories as possible of WLS resulting in cost savings and other improvements.

3) Research any health writers in Iowa. Below is a list of newspapers in the state. Within these, and any orther publications, can you identify any writers or journalists with any history of covering public interest stories addressing health issues?

Ames Tribune                                    515-232-2160
Fort Dodge Messenger                 515-573-2141
Globe Gazette  (Mason City)     641-421-0524
Sioux City Journal                             800-397-3530
Quad City Times (Davenport)

Iowa City Gazette                            319-339-3101
Council Bluffs Nonpareil               
Marshalltown Times Republican                641-753-6611

 

More soon....

 I have spent the past hour or more scouring the DHS and Iowa Legislative websites.  I just can't find the information I was looking for.  I want to know what I can do or what my friends that support me can do.
I asked Dr. LaMaster's office.  They have a petition there that they are encouraging their clients to sign regarding this.  I don't know what I can do....suggestions?

 I talked to Dr. LaMaster's office in Des Moines today.  Gov. Branstad signed (approved) the cessation of baraiatric surgery effective as noted above.  

I am speechless as I am waiting for Medicaid to approve my surgery before the cut off date.  I NEED this surgery to help me stay alive, not only for myself but my 7 year old daughter.
I am appalled that Branstad cut this very important surgery.

I'm from eastern Iowa-Tama

Julie