Full of questions

Hi my name is Liz I have an appointment to see the surgeon for April. I'm very excited and very hopeful but I'm very much confused about what to expect and the process of it all. I don't want to get my hopes up about the surgery  because if my insurance doesn't approve ill feel disappointed maybe a bit defeated. I guess my question is at what point do I know if ill be eligible ? At what point do I know if my insurance approved it? Thanks in advance guys! :)

Hi Liz.  You should contact your insurance company and ask them about requirements for Weight Loss Surgery.  When I did this, I got the requirements over the phone, and they also sent me a document with the information.  You should be able to determine for yourself if you meet the basic criteria.  One of the most common requirements seems to be a BMI of 40+ or 35+ with comorbidities (like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, etc.)

Then, many insurance companies require you to be on a 6 month supervised diet before you'll be approved for surgery.  If you haven't already been doing this with your family doctor, or if you haven't been a member of Weigh****chers, your surgeon's office will probably set you up with their nutritionist to get this done.  You'll also have to go through psychological testing to make sure you're prepared for the major changes and for the new lifestyle.  This will also probably be done through your surgeon's office.  After all of this, they will submit for approval.

It took about a week after my final nutritional visit for my surgeon's office to call me back with details about the surgery.  My first weight loss visit was April 11th, and I had surgery October 6th.  

A call to your insurance company will put your mind at ease.   They have specific requirements and even a few hoops to jump through that you can get started early on, so give them a call today and find out what you can start now.

As stated by WC and Valerie, contact your insurer to verify coverage and get their specific requirements. Your surgeon may have additional steps such as some group informational meetings, etc. I would also suggest you go to the blue bar at the top of the page, click on More, and read the information under Resources. There's a lot of information there. Also, check out the world according to egg face dot com ...there's a lot of information there. Good luck on you journey!