BMI eligibility

Hi guys, my wife and I think we could greatly benefit from the VSG for both of us BUT Our BMI's are actually around 35-38 (fluctuating but have been there for 5+ years). I understand that you are eligible with a BMI of 40 and 35-40 if you have conditions attached. The thing is neither of us have any medical conditions but we still struggle with our weight and are concerned that for the future this could lead to more complications. We recently got some money to pay for both surgeries and think we should get this and get ahead of the ball while we have the money and the opportunity. Whats the reasoning behind NOT offering it to people like us with that BMI range and no complications? Is it really that big of a deal for someone? will the doctors be flexible?

The requirements are for insurance companies.  As long as you are self-pay you will have no problem.  Congratulations on doing this for yourselves instead of waiting until you have medical conditions.

some surgeons have requirements for self pay but you should meet them

My BMI was 34 when my doctor began recommending bariatric surgery for me. He knew of my struggles to lose weight and he was aware of how hard I tried with other programs and how much I exercised.

After failing to lose weight with much effort for 10 years, I learned from the bariatric nutritionist and surgeon that this surgery can 'reset' the hormones and help in ways that other nutrition/behavioral changes failed me in the past. I was still at the lower BMI range for insurance requirements, but I had the desire to lose weight and made the effort to lose weight with no success.

Also, surgeons do prefer operating on patients who have lower BMIs because there are less risks involved. Going through this bariatric process on the lower end of the BMI range, I really do wish the insurance requirements would be lowered!

There often are free seminars that provide lots of great information for the decision-making process! At my surgeon's seminar, he indicated that in other countries, surgeons are performing WLS on people with BMIs of 33. 

Best wishes to you and your husband as you make your decision.

it is the insurance companies way of avoiding having to cover surgery for " everyone" . Many surgeons in other countries are doing  these surgeries for individuals who are normal weight but have very bad diabetes that can't be controlled. 

You should be fine with self pay. 

Be sure to also have some fasting blood work from your primary care doctor - in some cases, pre-diabetes conditions (high fasting blood sugar, high A1C) could be enough to qualify you - because the insurance company definitely doesn't want to pay for your diabetes care forever!  Also, sleep apnea - do either of you snore?  Have a sleep study!  Might as well see if insurance will pay!