Taking my first step today need advice

Hi all;  I am going to my PCP today to begin the appointments that BCBS of AZ are going to want in the precertification process.  I Have a BMI of 44,  had self pay band surgery in 2005, had to have it removed in 2005 because my body seemed to reject it.   I do have Barretts esophagus, and Tuesday am going to have my annual biopsies, where I'm going to ask my GI doc if I might be a candidate for the sleeve surgery. 
From what I read here, people with BCBS need to have 6 months of DR supervised weight loss, so today I'm going to ask him to start 'supervising' me. 
I'm operating in the dark because my company just switched insurance carriers, and I haven't been able to get the information from BCBS yet. 
Any advice for what I should ask for today would be greatly appreciated...

I think there are only two doctors in the area doing the sleeve, and both seem great.


betty

 Good Luck !!!   I am not sure if BCBS covers the sleeve??  hte office can always call and check for you.

Ibelieve Dr Sprunger  and Dr Schlesinger do sleeeves, not sure about all the other wonderful dr's in town.

I'm not sure about the sleeve, I had Lap band in April. I went to my Family Doc every month for 6 months, had him document every time I was there. We did a weight check, discussed weight loss, had him document this, and document  he thought I would benefit from weight loss surgery every time. I discussed what I was doing, err exercise, eating, and such they submitted it to insurance and 4 days later they ( az foundation) agreed. I wish you the best of luck..!

BCBSAZ covered my RNY.  When I asked about the sleeve, the comment was maybe but it might be a struggle to get them to pay.

Mike

i dont even know what the sleeve is lol.  Go for RNY, it works for sure lol

The gastric sleeve is not considered as a procedure by the ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic andBariatric Surgery), so it will not be covered by insurance until it is recognized by the governing board. Physicians will usually do it as self-pay. You may want to think of other options if you would like BCBS to cover the majority of the costs

 I've been to 2 seminars at the local hospitals, both said that no insurance covers the sleeve procedure because it is too new and has a higher risk for complications. I have bcbs and am just starting the process to get weight loss surgery as well. It may be still worth looking into but I thought I's let you know what banner and scottsdale bariatric said. Good luck!

Aris

Reference, the sleeve.... I had the vertical sleeve surgery 05-29-08 in Flagstaff by Dr. Robert Burger and I have done GREAT!  I have a history of cancer (colon) so the by-pass surgery was not something my oncologist recommended for me.  Because of my health history the band was out of the question because there was a fear my body would reject a foreign object in my body.  I have BCBS of New Mexico and they paid with not too much of a fight. I did not have to do the 6 month Dr. supervised diet as I provided a 5 year history from my many doctors showing I had an on-going weight problem.  The doctumentation also showed where I had lost weight (from dieting) and then gained it back plus a few pounds more. 

Since having WLS I have lost right at 110 pounds and have never felt better.  My labs are all coming back "normal" and I have only slightly suffered from the hair loss problem (it hit me at 6 months out from WLS).  I have more energy than I knew was possible and, finally, I am living!!!

Betty, WLS is a huge step so, please, do your research, talk to your doctor(s) and at that point you will be able to make an informed decision on the type of surgery that is best for you.   

The best of luck and keep us posted!
Katherine