Pre-Op Questions

Hi!  Did anyone have to have a procedure done prior to surgery where they go in with a tube down your throat and look at your stomach for ulcers or abnormalities?  My doctor does this most of the time, and I haven't really seen anything on here talking about it.  Also, has anyone gotten approved through Nationwide Better Health?  They are the decision making authority for United Health Care under our policy.  if so, what was your experience?  I am now through with all pre-op evaluations (psych, nutritionist, etc) and my nurse navigator will be sending my package over to Nationwide Better Health by the beginning of next week.  So excited and hoping that I will get an approval quickly.  This forum is fabulous!  Thanks for sharing so much of yourselves to help others! 

Lucky you! My United Health Care policy excludes all forms of bariatric surgery.

Yes, I had an upper endoscopy. It revealed the hiatal hernia that I already knew I had. I think the endoscopy is a good idea because it helps the surgeon get the lay of the land (so to speak) before venturing into surgery, but it's a very expensive procedure.

I can't answer your question about your insurance. Every policy is different. You could ask 10 people who have Nationwide Better Health and get 10 different answers about bariatric coverage. The only way to answer the question is to call your insurance company.

It took 2 weeks for my insurance company (Anthem BC/BS) to deny my surgery, and another 2 weeks for them to approve my appeal.

Jean