Advice on buying new Ins. or financing the surgery?

Hi All, It was official last week. After all the prelimiary steps have been done, my new insurance BCBS PPO, with their written exclusion policy, say they will NOT pay for any reason. They told the surgery coordinator that there was no reason to even submit my paperwork, so my Dr. office won't even send in the request. Even with heart condition and other co-existing problems, they will not help. I was wondering if anyone out there had successfully purchased private insurance that would pay for this surgery and if so, what insurance company's will pay when hired without going through an employer? Also, if I can't find insurance willing to pay, has anyone been successful using financing for this? Who did you go to for the loan, how difficult was it to get? What kind of payments would we be looking at? I am just desperate to find some way to get this surgery. I have been trying not to get too depressed and continue to follow the atkins low carb plans, but it is so difficult to do when it seems hopeless to get help. When I do try to loose weight with exercise, my feet, knees, etc. cause me great pain and as you well know, there aren't any Dr.'s willing to give me any real pain meds for this. I am soooo frustrated! Any info or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and God Bless, Deb

Do you own your home? Ann

I have been advised by our human resource dept. that MUSC Options will pay for this surgery IF it is deemed medically necessary. Thankfully, I switched to this insurance a couple of years ago. I don't know if it is offered in your area or not, but it's worth it to try and find out. I know it is in the Charleston/Walterboro area. I think Companion Healthcare and MUSC Options are one and the same. I do know that at least two women in my town have had WLS and MUSC Options was the insurance company that paid. Good luck to you!

I spoke with Dr. *****ett's nurse on Friday about the cost if my insurance were to deny me. She said that the surgeon's fee runs around $11,000.00 and that Palmetto Baptist requiers a $25,000.00 deposit. She did not know what the deposit covered or if it was basically enough to pay for the lap surgery or if it turned into an open if it would be a lot more. Of course I guess it would be much more the longer your stay. Having conplications wouldn't be a good idea if you were paying yourself. : ) I don't know if this helps, but it gives you a ball park figure of the minimum you would have to shoot for.