Medicare to cover Gastric Bypass

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2006-02-21-surgery-usat_x.htm Thats a good step-- most insurance companies follow Medicare.

Hopefully this will help a lot of our people that are having such problems with their insurance companies. These companies that say this is a cosmetic surgery are crazy!! It takes cosmetic surgery to get rid of the skin and stuff, but the gastric bypass saves our lives! Thanks for sharing this with us! Rhonda

I dont even view skin removal as cosmetic as long as the procedures are medically necessary and/or will correct functional impairment caused by disease. The rashes and infections caused by the skin rubbing together between the abdomen and pubic area, buttocks and waistline cannot be cured without removing what is causing the rubbing - the excess skin. Without removing the excess skin, we cannot correct the abnormalities/deformities that have been created as a result of the treatment of morbid obesity.

I agree. Some plastic surgery is needed for medical reasons, however I believe that the insurance companies view all plastic surgery as cosmetic surgery. What kills me is that we pay in to these insurance companies all year and they get to pick and choose who they will cover for what surgery and I think that is wrong. We don't get to pick and choose how much we will pay and when. I feel that if a person pays for insurance and their doctor deems it medically necessary for them to have a surgery, the insurance company should pay for it, no questions asked. What qualifies the insurance company to say whether a person should be covered for a procedure that a doctor has already said is needed? That is just my feelings on the subject. Rhonda

THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST. I love you for stating fact. Having done PS--- it was not for glamour. I have had to defend this w/ several people who just didn't get it. After losing weight my back problems began due to 10 of hanging abdomen skin and change in the center of my standing position. The infected pus filled infected fat cells were no fun either. glenda

Thanks for the update Christine this is going to meen alot to alot of folks. It will mean the difference between life or death for alot of them. I am glad to see this now hopefully the other insurances will follow suit. Hint hint BCBS MS.lol. Barry

Thanks Christine, this is great news and maybe there is hope for state employees insurance after all. I wonder how long it will take for them to get on board. Debra

I thought medicare already covered WLS....I dunno..... Smoochies Arlies

Oh, I thought they had stopped paying for it. Sorry.. I dont know.

Bout time the government showed some intelligence! Now if the other insurance companies would just smarten-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomanip