What insurance to pick at new job?

Hi April: Congratulations on the new job! I went through Kaiser and was put through a 6 month program with them whi*****luded writing everything you ate and drank plus keeping an exercise log. You had to see a nutritionist once a month and lose 10 pounds within that 6 month period. Easier said then done, it took me 7 months to lose the 10 pounds. Then, once you go through the 6 month process and lose the 10 pounds your case is sent to a Review Board that will determine whether or not you qualify for the surgery. It took them about 6-8 weeks to approve me after the 7 months to lose the 10 pounds. By that time, I had already accepted a new position with a new job and dropped Kaiser. I am now with Johns Hopkins and they have their own insurance which was much easier to get approval then Kaiser. So, saying all that I don't sdvise you to go with Kaiser. I also went through Optimum Choice (HMO) in 2002 and my employer had made gastric bypass an exemption. Like most people said, CareFirst sounds like the best deal. You can always call ahead to make sure that they cover gastric bypass. JaNae

April, it's quite true that you can't depend on what you, or the surgeon's office, are told over the telephone. I stress this so many times it's unreal. It also depends on the POLICY you are being offered, not just the companies. I can tell you that I am not a state employee, however I have a policy with Optimum Choice - MAMSI/UnitedHealthcare. I have the "Direct Access" Policy and I was approved on the first submission. It took less than a week for the actual approval, but I had to complete the requirements set forth by the insurance company. Whatever Policy you end up with, I will tell you that the FIRST thing you should do is to write or email the company, give them your policy number, your SSN, your member number and ask them this one question "What, if any, are the exclusions under MY POLICY for weight loss surgery?" They will respond in writing giving you a standard, from the manual, response and it will either give you the exclusion of the benefit entireley, OR it will give you the requirements for approval. That written response is something that you can take with you to your surgeon and/or doctor's office and it will eliminate all the he said/she said, over the phone crap. Good luck with the job and with picking a good insurance. Roni