Another newbie from Wichita

Hey everyone. I'm so glad I found this website and to read messages from others in and around Wichita. My employer is having open enrollment for insurance this week and for the first time we'll be having insurance that covers bariatric surgery! It's something I've always thought about but could never afford without insurance coverage. Now that it is an option, I'm excited to start the journey. Of course our new insurance won't go into effect until the first of the year but I'd like to know what I could be doing in the mean time to get the ball rolling. I'd appreciate any advise anyone could give me...especially opinions on surgeons in Wichita.

You can look around your area and setup times to meet with a few programs liv-lite. etc. Glad that your now have insurance that will cover the surgery. I am in the same boat you were. I am wanting the surgery badly, but my insurance doesn't cover, and there is no way I can afford without the insurance. I am hoping that over time and with some pushing that I can help get the coverage added, but it won't be easy because I work for the state of Kansas. I have been thinking it might be easier to just take a job that has insurance that covers, but the job I am looking at now would require a paycut and drastic change in hours. But good luck! I am happy that your on your way. Hope that maybe one day I will be too! Chad

That's great news Jeanne! My husbands employer did the same thing last year, and I was ecstatic!! If you want to have your surgery here in Wichita, you have to go through the Solutions for Life program with Dr. Early. The surgeons require that. But it is a great program and explains everything, and you get to learn how to eat after the surgery. There is a great support team there at Solutions for Life. My surgery is Monday!! What is your new insurance? Most insurances require 6 or 12 month doctor supervised diet. Get to your pcp and get their approval for the surgery and get started on one now!! You will have 1 month out of the way before you get started!! Let me know if there is anything else you need help with!!

Hi Dottie, and congrats on your surgery this coming week!!! I'll be wishing you the best! Our new insurance is Cigna/Open Access Plus...and yes I got a copy of their coverage position and they require a minimum 6 month physician supervised weight management program. They did say that for individuals with lifelong morbid obesity, the program could have been as long as five years ago, but physician directed programs consisting exclusively of pharmacological management are not sufficient enough to meet the requirement, and unfortunately, that's the boat I'm in. In a way I'm somewhat disappointed, as I hoped this was something that wouldn't take quite as long....but then, six months goes by pretty quickly. You have a point that if I start now, I will have a month out of the way by the time the insurance coverage starts. They also stipulate an evaluation by a mental health professional, and eval by a registered dietican. What I don't know is at what point these two things are to be done...whether that is part of the pre-op eval??? or something I schedule and do on my own. I also need to find out how/where these things fit into my insurance coverage. Could you give me more info on the Solutions for Life program?? I've heard it advertised but have never caught the number. Thanks, Jeanne