Missouri Medicaid

Has anyone had WLS with Medicaid in Missouri? I was just wondering how difficult it was to get approved or if there were special things you had to do. Thanks! -Jenn

Jenn I had my surgery in April of last year. I didnt go thro nothing out of the ordenary. Dr. Scott out of Columbia was my doctor. If I can be of any help. Please feel free to email me. Good Luck Melissa

Jenn, I am sceduled to have WLS in April. I have Medicare ans Medicaid and it went right thru. Good luck on your new adventure. Julia

hi jenn, i had surgery nov. 20, 2006. and i have medicaid. i was approved the first time. i think it all depends on how many co-morbities you have. dr. scott was my surgeon. and he was awesome!! i would reccomend him to anybody. also your primary needs to be supportive with this.because they are gonna want your information in your file. if you have any questions feel free to send me a personal message. friends, patty

Patty, Thank you so much for responding. I'm just really nervous about getting the approval. I've been waiting for the past few weeks for them to process my paperwork so I can set my first office visit. Under my doctor request, I stated that I would prefer Dr. Scott or Dr. de le Torre, unless another doctor was available significantly sooner. I currently weight about 330 pounds and have a BMI of 50. My PCP is supportive, but my list of co-morbidities isn't as long as a lot of people I know. I do have hypertension as well as other, less serious problems like depression, knee, ankle, and foot problems, vericose veins, and I do have asthma, but I've had it since I was a kid and don't take anything regularly for it. If my income goes above $400 a month, I will lose my Medicaid. At the same time, it is very difficult living off of so little. So right now I'm playing the waiting game and hoping that I can get approval and that living this way for a few more months is all worth it in the end. Once again, thank you for your response and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. -Jenn

Hi Jenn, I just wanted to add that even if you DON'T think you have sleep apnea, please try and get a sleep study done anyway. Just ask your doctor to refer you to one. It's an overnight at a hospital with lots of crazy wires and glue, but well worth it. They discovered I had something along the lines of sleep apnea even though I sleep like a log, never had a bit of trouble sleeping. However, getting that sleep apnea diagnosis is a strong variable in counting toward your co-morbidities. Anything helps! I started out at 326# and only really had the beginnings of high blood pressure. That wasn't enough. So, then I got the sleep apnea diagnosis and wah-lah! ;) Good luck in this. It is a woooonderful gift to receive but the emotional roller-coaster until then is just beginning! Keep us posted. Hugs, Kelly

Thanks for the heads up on the sleep apnea. I wake up often, but I think it is due to sleeping with an infant in my bed! Now and then we have a good night and I sleep well. I never even considered sleep apnea, but if it helps at all, I'd love to know about having it. Thanks! -Jenn