United Health care of Ohio. I am getting desperate.

I have united health care of Ohio. I desperately need WLS, but UHC refuses to pay for it. My credit sucks so Getting financing is not a good option. Can anyone help? Know of a way to get UHC of Ohio to pay, a way to get financing?

Good luck! UHC in Ohio is refusing to pay for this surgery in many instances. They say there is an exclusion in their policy not to insure this surgery. I had to self-pay for my surgery on 3/28 of this year. You can hire an attorney to help you. But of course that costs money as well. St. Vincent Charity Hospital of Cleveland has hooked up with I think Huntington Bank to provide patients with loans. If you qualify of course. Good luck! It can be a slow process getting approval. I said to hell with the insurance company and went ahead with the self-pay. I got my date 4 weeks later. But it was a lot of money to part with! Melanie

I have United Healthcare of Ohio and I was approved in one day. I had surgery in 2003, so maybe they changed their rules since then. Cheryl

Are you a government employee? My employer told me the only UHC of ohio which covers WLS is for government employers. UHC says that my employer has a writer on the policy against WLS. Who do I believe? And Where do I go from here I am kind of at in the middle.

I am a federal employee, seems weird that they would cover for one group and not the others. Cheryl

You may want to check with your employer. I had UHC with my insurance at work. They had a written exclusion about Morbid obesity. Even if I needed it for medical reasons it would be denied. I spoke with a customer service rep. He told me that is the policy my company went with. UHC does cover it, but your company has to have it written in their policy. Luckily my husband's insurance does cover it. Good Luck and Best Wishes, Julie

Hi Kathy, I'm sorry to hear you are having so much trouble with UHC of Ohio. I do think your employer has a lot to do with it. I also have UHC of Ohio but my company's policy does not have an exclusion about WLS. I was fortunate enough to get approved within a few days and I'm even approved for the duodenal switch surgery, which I know many insurance companies won't cover. You might want to start with your employer to see if any exceptions can be made. Best of luck. Denise

Congratulations. I did talk to my HR department and they say that it is written in to the policy form UHC, and the only UHC policy that will cover the surgery is for govenment employees. UHC says that my employer has a writer on the policy against treatment for morbid obesity and WLS. Who do I believe? and what do I do next?

Well, I can tell you for sure that I don't work for the government (I work for a bank in central Ohio), so the story about UHC only approving the surgery for government employees is inaccurate. You may want to talk to a lawyer who specializes in WLS and insurance. It is bad enough to have to fight this so hard but then to be given conflicting info makes it even worse. Best of luck in your fight! Denise

Kathy, My company has UHC of OHio and also had an exclusion written into the policy. What you need to do is to work with your benefits manager in HR. They have the power to make an exception if they want to. Sit down and write a letter to your benefits manager. Tell them the struggles you're having with your weight problem. Don't be shy about it. If you have problems walking, attending to personal hygiene, getting in and out of the car, tell them. Let them see, through your eyes, what it's like to live with morbid obesity. List your co-morbidities and explain the meds you're on, side effects, etc. Tell them why you feel this would be cost-effective for them in the long run. Ask them to cover it. Does your company offer any benefits for smoking cessation classes or drugs? How about if an employee had an alcohol or drug problem? What kind of money would they spend on rehab programs? If they cover these things and not weight issues, aren't they discriminating against the obese? Call them on it. Are you a long-term employee? Remind them of your loyalty and dedication to the company. If they won't cover it, would they consider financing it for you? Does your company have a credit union? Sometimes CU's are more forgiving about credit problems if you're an employee in good standing. Read up on Ohio Senate Bill 41, which will require all insurers to offer coverage for WLS if they are going to do business in Ohio. I don't know if it's dead in the water or still active, but you should at least look into it. If they deny it, appeal to them a second time. It took awhile, but I finally got permission from my company to proceed. They have since removed the exclusion from the policy and will pay 50% of the costs. Just don't give up. The squeaky wheel really does get the grease-eventually.