Anyone have United Healthcare ins. that they purchased individually?

I am thinking of checking into getting United HealtheCare insurance on my own. Have heard they pay for the surgery but not sure where I can buy the policy. My husband's insurance won't cover it and I will have him drop me from his policy if I can find United somewhere around Richmond area. Thanks for reading!!!

I don't mean to give you negative information on this sunny Thanksgiving day but I DO want to give you sound advice. You can't purchase the same type of insurance that normally covers WLS. Why? Group policies that are offered through employers (as employee benefit packages) are the type of insurance policies that cover things of this sort. There are some insurance companies out there that also offer individual insurance policies (I.E. polices that Sally Smith that can come in the purchase just for herself-- one of them is BCBS) BUT those type of policies have exclusions out the wazoooo and furthermore you have to QUALIFY for their coverage. Which means that by even being overweight (enough to qualify you for WLS in the first place) would alone be enough to disqualify you for their coverage. Individual insurance policies are a pain in the rear to get. Basically it is for realitively healthy folks that DON'T have a group plan to get on at work and they just want something in case something happens down the road. If you have any preexisting conditions (including being overweight) you HAVE to go through underwriting before they will even write the policy. How do I know this? It is what I did for years and honey I'm telling you the truth. This isn't the way to go.... Your best bet w/o knowing your medical background or employment/financial status is to start looking at jobs where their benefits DO cover WLS and try to either get your husband working there or see if you can work there. Also look into Vocational Rehabilitation and if you are on public assistance like Medicaid or Medicare. These are more viable options for you right now. I know that this isn't what you want to hear but I don't want you chasing a pipe dream either and wasting your time. I know how it is to want something so badly and to have NO chance at getting it. I worked for YEARS to get this surgery before I was finally able to realize it. It CAN BE DONE... but it is going to take some leg work and dedication on your part to make it happen sweetie.. I know you can do it! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help... Elizabeth~

Thanks! I will be looking for work next week. Right now I am waiting to hear back from a company I worked for as a seasonal employee last year. I am substitute teaching in the meantime. But that company allows seasonal employees to sign up for their insurance, just not sure if they have exclusions or waiting periods. I will not give up.

Tammy, I went online to einsurance and applied to buy united healthcare insurance through golden rule. the policy was going to be over $400 per month, but that was okay (way cheaper than $25,000 for the surgery). However, they turned me down for coverage due to.....yep you guessed it, my height and weight. One of the brokers at einsurance told me that if golen rule turns you down, no one will insure you. They were more than happy to sell me a policy for my husband and kids, though....HA! They apparently turn down anyone with a BMI that qualifies for surgery because my husband has a BMI of 36 and they approved him. They are probably using the same height and weight charts that the doctor's are using. The woman that answered you and told you about employer insurance is correct. I'm not sure where you live, but I live in the springfield area and employers that I know that cover this are: Springfield Public Schools, state and federal employees insurance, bankone (a credit card company) and Mt. Vernon Rehab Hospital in Mt. Vernon. I have pretty much decided that I'm going to have to sell everything I own, use my tax refund, my medical savings account at work and probably get a home equity loan to pay for mine. Don't give up! Love and Prayers, victoria kelsay PS: a woman on OH told me about two doctors in Mexico that are doing RNY for around $10,000. I'm seriously looking into them.

Dear Tammy, I agree with all above. Be careful in seeking a job based on who the insurer is. I have UHC, but the place I work for is self-insured through UHC. Therefore, they do not have to cover WLS (or infertility, or other conditions that they might normally cover if not self-insured). My spouse has BCBS for Federal Employees. They covered my WLS, no questions asked. Good Luck! Angie 302/185/150's

This weekend I received a document from my insurer. They won't even pay for my bloodwork that PCP did because it could be weight loss related. This is crazy. I am getting so depressed over all the discrmination that we receive as obese people. I left a letter for my husband's employer to try to persuade him to change insurance policies or at least allow us a choice of plans. If that doesn't work, my husband is considering looking elsewhere for employment or getting the other employees involved. No one has been happy with this insurance since they have gotten it. Please pray that I will have the strength to do this. I will be writing to my state reprensentatives also. Please consider doing the same. Hoping to eventually get some laws changed. No one is allowed to discriminate against people because of race, sex, sexual preferences, age, and other factors but it's OK to say "You're obese, so I won't help you". This is crap. Sorry for ranting, just need to vent.