mental health and nut eval

Hey everyone. Well I'm trying to get my ducks in a row here. My insurance will start covering WLS after the first of the year, so I'm trying to prepare. I do know at this point it's going to take some time, as they are going to require a 6 mo physician directed weight management program prior to approval and mental health and nut eval.... Does anyone know if these evals can be done during my 6 mo period and how did this work into most peoples insurance coverages?? Thanks Dottie and Shelley for the info on Solutions for Life. I also need to find out how long the classes are/cost and if they are reimbursed by my insurance/and if they can only begin after the insurance approval?

I also went through Solutions for Life. I had my psych eval in January and didn't have my surgery until August. So yes, you can get all your testing done in the 6 month wait. My insurance covered all of my testing except the lab work and anything I had done at Solutions. It fell under the non-coverage for weight loss treatment. But they covered the WLS, go figure!! LOL As for the classes, I was required to take 8 weeks of pre-op classes. I think they cost about $145 for the pre-op classes. Then I was also required to pay for 12 weeks of post-op classes BEFORE I was even allowed to see the surgeon for a consult. The post-op classes cost $700. And no, my insurance did not cover any of the classes.

You can get it during that time. You will need to call your insurance company and see what they pay for counceling or pyschiatric billing and that will tell you how much your insurance will pay. If you get insurance through work and you have a really good Human Recource person you could ask them they could probably tell you. Good luck.

I am getting ready to start classes in Feb with Solutions for Life. Get back to me and we can discuss some of those issues.

Great!!! I'm going to the orientation on Dec 5....wish they held them every week instead of every month! They sent me all the paper work to fill out, for insurance etc...but I'm not sure what to do with it as the insurance i have now doesn't cover any weight loss programs what so ever...and my new insurance that does won't go into effect until after the first of the year. Guess all I can do is go to the orientation and ask. So how long have you been looking into WLS...and how long has the entire process of getting this far taken you?