Hey, Everyone!!(:

Hey, everyone!

I'm 'new' to obesityhelp. I've been coming here for answers and finally decided to make an account(:

I already have a question!

I recently decided to look into weight loss surgery and have my first appointment to meet with a weight loss surgeon on 09/04/14 

I am covered under BCBS PPO and I was wondering if anybody else has gone through the process with bcbs ppo. I know that every policy is different and such but I'm just curious about what other BCBS PPO users have gone through.

If you've gotten wls and it was covered by bcbs ppo, please let me know how everything went and what the process was like to get it covered(:

Thanks!

I had Wellmark BCBS of Iowa when I did mine.  It seems that most BCBS policies will require the 6 month supervised weight loss with your PCP, a documented history of being overweight, and then various tests that all have to be completed prior to scheduling surgery.  Such as:  one meeting with nutritionist (NUT), psych eval.  

They were actually very easy to deal with.  You can call the customer service number on the back of your card and ask them specifically what the requirements are to qualify for the surgery.  They will spell it out for you.  

I can't tell you anything about your insurance, but welcome! 

My insurance is BCBS PPO. It was an absolute cake walk! I went to my initial consult/meeting with my surgeon on July 24th. Since the hospital/program I'm going through is 3 hours away, they were able to schedule my psych evaluation for the same day. There were no requirements for me to complete before submitting (most insurance companies require a 6 month weight loss program, or something else along those lines). My psych evaluation & paperwork was submitted that very day, and I got the call the next day saying I was approved for the surgery!

I was absolutely STUNNED that I was approved in roughly 16 hours! So far, I've had nothing but a good experience with my BCBS PPO. Just waiting to find out what my out of pocket cost may be....however it's looking like the entire $25,000 surgery will be covered!

Thank you for the replies, everyone! 

I spoke with my insurance company today and got a ton of information. I'm crossing my fingers that the process will be as easy as they made it sound!

Thank you for the welcome and the insurance replies! I have the first appointment at 12 tomorrow (9/4/14)

I am SO excited and I'll be sure to update you all!(:

Also, the woman from the insurance company said she does not see a requirement for a 6-month dietary program pre-op on the policy, so that's GOOD!

YAY(: