Who said 6 months goes by quickly?

Well I started looking into this surgery last November. Made it to the seminar in December and had my eval in January. Cigna denied me stating I had not completed the 6 month diet and also stated I did not have any comorbid conditions. Go figure....I have diabetes and take insulin, have high blood pressure and take Benicar and high cholesterol and take Crestor. I appealed and threatened a law suit ect, ect, and threatened to report them to the state board of insurance. They upheld their denial stating I still need the 6 month physician supervised diet but agreed they were incorrect that I did have the comorbid conditions. I called the Obestity Law firm and they advised to save my money and do the diet....if denied after that they would be able to help. I already started the Dr. supervised monthly diet visits in January and thought I would be finished next month....but no! The first visit counts as a consult and I cannot submit my last appeal until I have my last dr visit in July. So now if I get this approved at the end of July I cannot do anything until after August because everybody in my office wants to take vacation in August and the first week of Sept for Labor Day weekend. I am getting discouraged. I am ready to hop a plane for Monterey, Mexico and take my chances. I know, I know...stop the whining and get a grip!

Hi Sandra, Are those poodles in your pictures? If so, I also have 2 apricots or reds and a white one. Betina

When I first began to research until final approval was a total of 9 months. My insurance had a ton of stuff that they wanted over and over again. When all was said and done, my insurance approved pretty quickly. I think it is like Dr Curry said in an earlier posting that these insurance companies want to discourage people from utilizing their insurance. Don't let'em get you down. Winning the war is worth the battles that you encounter. Whine all you want, its frustrating to want something so badly that you know will save your life, and have to wait and wait and wait for your new life to begin. Good luck to you!

I went thru the same thing you did. I was so pissed off. My insurance would not budge. But right after the supervised vists I was approved right away. I also was pissed about the first month not counting. I went thru the same thing. Beleive me time will fly. Then you will be on the losing side. Just keep busy. Take Care Barb

It's hard to be patient, but it will be rewarded in the end. It's hard because once we decided the WLS is the right choice for us, we want it RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately, the world (and insurance companies) just don't work that way. Finishing jumping through their hoops and try to be patient. I was one of the odd ones - was actually glad that it took about 10 months from my first visit until my surgery. I used the time to start working on my eating habits and the emotional issues that were (and still are) tied to food. By the time I actually had my surgery, I was in a really good head space about the decision. I think that's enabled me to continue to make good healthy choices on my journey. Good luck to you with the waiting and your surgery. It will all be worth it! Kellie Lap RNY 10/25/2005 396/261/165