Relative wants WLS ? please help

I have already had WLS surgery. My Relative  is on Medicaid not sure what kind and she is in TN and wants wls. What kinds of wls will Medicaid pay for and what qualificativcations do you need, like 1 year documented Drs weight  loss attempt, BMI of 35 or so many co-morbitities? I am not familiar with medicaid. thanks so much.

sorry the title sounded like im asking for money im not lol just asking for advice

Hi,  In TN, Medicaid is called TennCare and about 9 different companies provide it.  Each of these companies provides different benefits, so there is no one size fits all like Medicaid in other states.  There are a couple of the TNCares that pay for weight loss surgery-I am pretty sure that BlueCare and PHP do.  Your relative will need to contact her TNCare company and just ask them if they cover WLS and what are the guidelines.  I believe most require a supervised period of weight loss and a BMI of 40 or 35 if there are comorbidities.  Sorry I can't be of more help.

oh yes I did forget it is called Tenncare. My relative does need this wls so bad. I can find ouw what kind of Tn care that they have tomorrow I think.

thanks for your help yes you did help me.

I have Blue Care TNCare and the biggest problem I had was finding someone close to do the surgery. I will be going 2 hours away from home for surgery and everything. Not really a problem as many people go away for surgery but a little inconvenient. You can read some of the  requirements if you google Bureau of Tenncare. I am required to do a 6 month medically supervised diet. The specifics about what this means is on the Tenncare page. Whatever surgeon you use may have his own requirements, like a specific weight loss before surgery. When I called the number on the back of my card they were decidedly unhelpful. I found out more here on OH. I found a surgeon here from someone else who has my Tenncare. I know that both Blue Care and PHP pay for RNY and I think Tenncare Select also does. I don't know for sure what other surgeries are covered. Feel free to PM me if you think I might be able to help with anything. Blessings, Karen

thanks Karen I will be seeing what Tenn care they have. I may Pm you later.

Dr Dyer at Centennial takes medicare patients.  The link for Centennial is below.  Even though he was not my surgeon he is a wonderful doctor and an even better person.  Your cousin can go to the seminars for them, they are free and they have folks that will help them through each step of the process. darlene http://www.cmcwls.com/