Calling all State employees...

Hi! I am considering applying for a job with the State. I have heard that the state's insurance will cover WLS. However, I have heard that when you become a state employee you have the option to choose from a couple different insurance carriers. Can anyone who works for the state tell me which insurance company will cover WLS and which one is the easiest to get approval with? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Tammy

Hi Tammy, I work for the State of Tennessee and I have my insurance with Aetna...they paid for ALL of my surgery...except for the first $100.00, and I've had well over $150,000.00 worth of surgery done. Hope this helps. Hugs, Terri

Hi TenneSassy! Thank you for replying to my post! I have read your profile so I see that Aetna does require the 6 months supervised diet! Ugh... My current insurance policy has an exclusion to any weight loss/obesity related stuff so I can't do a 6 month medically supervised diet right now and have my insurance pay for it, so I will have to either wait until I can get hired with the State or pay out of pocket. Anyways, I was hoping maybe you could share some more of your WLS journey with me including Aetna's requirements for surgery. You can email me at [email protected] when you have time. What other insurance is offered through the State? I am thinking of applying to work at DCS, I hear they usually have openings. Well, hope to hear from you soon, and CONGRATS on your awesome weight loss! You look great! Tammy

Hey Tammy- I work for the state of Tennessee and I chose BC/BS Preferred and went to Centennial. They did not require the 6 month waiting period and paid everything but about $1300.00 which was my percentage. I LOVE BC/BS and not everyone can say that!!!! Check out my profile and see how quickly everything was handled. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY!! Bryna

Wow Bryna, that was awesome (I read your profile). It sounds like you have done really well with the WLS. So, BCBS did not require a 6 month medically supervised diet? And the $1300, was that your deductible or for separate things like the surgeon's consult and psych eval., etc? I am just trying to learn all I can about all of the different insurance options the state offers so that I make the best decision. Btw, congrats on your weight loss, you look great! Tammy

Tammy, I am a State employee and I have John Deere HMO. They are asking for six months of dieting. But I think my coverage has been great so far...I am out a total of $20 for my initial consult and $20 for my psyche evaluation...I have had the upper "GI" which was at no cost to me...JD paid it...and I will have to pay $100 for my hospital stay/surgery...and I am assuming it is the same in all State agencies, JD was at the least cost per month for me. I work for a District Attorney in Tennessee. Hope all that helps! Good luck! Jill

Hi Tammy, I am a State employee and I have John Deere Select POS. I did have to do the six month dieting and weigh-in's with my PCP. However, I used this time to prepare and get everything ready for my surgery. I ended up with close to 100,000.00 in hospital and doctor bills because I got a staph infection at the hospital. Out of all these bills, I only had to pay my 100.00 deductible. My pills for the staph infection were 4000.00 for one month and my insurance paid for those as well. I was denied with my first application for the surgery, but they just asked me to get some more documentation. I appealed and was approved in about three weeks. However, I was told by my insurance company that the state was the one that denied my surgery. I got the documentation they needed and was on my way. It has been five months and three weeks since my surgery and I have lost a total of 90 lbs. I can't tell you how much the difference has been in my life. It was well worth waiting six months to get approved.