House Bill 384 - Author Sam Jones - Please help us

Went before the Legislative committee yesterday.  There was opposition to it and the bill has been tabled.  For all intents and purposes, unless we can get enough people to call their representative or senator, it is dead.  Please, please call your representative and senators, and have everyone you know call and lets see if we can get this bill revived.  It is a bill that would require the insurance for State Employees to cover the lap band, gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries for State Employees.  The hope is that if they can get the State Insurance to cover it that in general other insurances will cover it too.  Please take a few minutes and contact your representative and senators NOW.  This is important to not only state employees but to the general public that is obese and that is a large majority of people in the state of Louisiana. 

I emailed all mine after looking it up this morning......It's been involuntaryily deferred which means the bill is dead for this year unless there is a 2/3 majority to put it back on the table. I'm also encouraging everyone to contact as many people as possible!

Who are the reps opposing this?

They don't come out and actively oppose it. It's just when it comes up they choose to sideline it. It's been shut down 3 times. I work of the state and the client's I service have access to WLS thru LA medicaid (however they have trouble finding dr who accept it) but I was unable to get coverage for it....it's excluded from all state ins policies. OGB (state health ins) did a study years ago on the cost benefits of covering WLS and the conclusion was that they did not save enough money by covering it. Not that they didn't save money....but that it wasn't enough money!!!! Despite the fact that the 40 chosen for the study had to be/and were the sickest of the sick in order to qualify for the study and that the only WLS they studied was gastric by pass. It was not a very effective or inclusive study of WLS and it has haunted state employees since.

DONE!!! And all I know WILL DO!