Hello i am new here :)

Hi everyone. My name is annie and i am a single mother of two wonderful kids whom are 8 and 3. I am very interested in the lap band surgery and i know that my insurance does not cover it (especially know that because i work for the insurance company) so my dielma is do i pay out of pocket  for this surgery or wait until they may cover the procedures. for those of you who had the insurance cover it, where do you have your health insurance threw, what company? I work in topeka and i have even been searching for jobs that have insurance that cover the surgery just to be able to get it...any one with advice please respond ... thanks for your time

My insurance also turned me down. I fiqured I could push the issue, but knew that would take a long time. I went ahead and did self-pay. My surgery date was just last Tuesday on the 5th of June. I finally weighed myself today and much to my surprise I had lost 19 pounds in one week. So if I had not done self-pay I would still be waiting to lose weight. I do not regret it at all.

Hi,  I just went and meet with my surgeon Dr. Hamilton on Tuesday June 12th.  My insurance is BCBS Anthem through Goodyear, they do cover both types of surgery.  I am just in the beginning, I have to go and meet with a psychologist next week and do a sleep study, then we will see what other hoops the insurance company will throw my way.   Dr. Hamilton told me that Medicare or Medicaid ( I get those two confused) but they have approved the surgery and he said anytime that they approve something other big insurance company normally follow.  So your insurance might reconsider.  I take it you work for BCBS, I know that at the seminar I went to they said BCBS State does not pay but hopefully they will change their mind.   Good luck in your journey.

I had gastric by-pass and my insurance through United Health Care. I know that many of the larger employers in Topeka offer UHC. I was only out the cost of a hospital stay which under my plan is only $500 out of pocket for me. My insurance covers the rest... pretty good plan

Or is your insurance one of the ones that will pay for RNY but not the band?

i work at bcbsks and they have no coverage for weight loss of any kind. it really sucks!!!

Since I have BCBS of Kansas I was also a self pay patient and I will tell you one thing, I don't regret it one bit. I feel that I am for once in my life doing something for me. I know that not everyone has the option of being self pay and I was wondering if I could come up with the money either. My DH found a way for us to do it and I was very thankful. We may not drive a new car or have a bigger house for a long time, but I know that my kiddos will have an active happy mommy and that means the world to me.  If it was me I wouldn't let anything stand in my way of achieving my goal.

Greetings!   I also have BCBS of KS and no coverage for WLS.  Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the plan.  I am saving and hoping to have surgery early next year.  I am new to all this and really in the research mode.  Lots of good info. here on OH though I wonder about the rates of the various complications I read about.  Some folks seem to sail through with no problems while others seem to have a really tough time.  I know it takes work, and I am willing to work, but I really need to know if WLS is a long-term answer.  I've lost hundreds of pounds over the years only to gain it all back, and I just can't face that again!  If I were able to change my behavior permanently on my own, I wouldn't have this yo-yo problem.  That's why I'm considering the Lap-Band-- appears to be an ever-present friend/reminder to keep me in line!  Currently considering Tallgrass in Topeka and another place in KC area (can't think of the name at the moment).  What do y'all think?