NOOOO Not what I wanna hear from Aetna....

It may be quite a push, call the surgeon and explain your situation and find out what steps are needed for approval through Cigna.  If you can get APPROVED by Cigna before the end of the year, they give you a certain amount of time to have the procedure and you can have it done in 2009.

Can't get in the surgeons ofc for this month. They are booked. Had an appt for 12/4 and rescheduled it to 1/6 because of the insurance changes and now I am screwed. There is no way that I can be approved by the end of the month because Cigna makes u do all kinds of things 1st.

I lurk around on ALL the forums and have looked into the insurance forum for GP and there is quite a bit of info there... All is not lost...Look into the forum and talk with your surgeon because he/she may know how to get past this barrier.

There has to be a loop hole somewhere, especially if you have any comorbidities associated with your weight.  (Do you?)  Definitely check the Insurance board.  Also, go thru your insurer's policy bulletin with a fine-tooth comb... prayerfully there will be something there that works in your favor.

Best wishes & blessings!

I do have depression, but the last 2 visits that I had at my regular Dr's ofc, I had high blood pressure so she told me to come back in 30 days and if it is high then she is going to start me on meds.

yea - I had Cigna when I had my WLS and they got a gang of things you gotta do first........  Don't know what to tell you babygirl...... you could maybe call Cigna and find out what/how far in the process you have to be for them to still pay for it in 09.... you could maybe start the process with a surgeon who IS available then just switch to your preferred guy - once they approve the procedure - it doesn't matter WHO does it.....

If it's excluded, it's most likely because of your company.  They decided not to pay for WLS.  Aetna does cover bariatric surgery.  Maybe you can plead your case with HR because if they cover it now, why not next year?  Maybe they will make an exception for you?  Good luck!

Hey sorry to hear that information.  I've been there before and I didn't act quickly so here I am almost ten years later and finally paying out of pocket for surgery.  I think you have gotten some good advice so move quickly with Cigna and work to see what you need to do before Jan to get this surgery approved.  Exclusions are written by your job to cut down on the price of insurance so you really can't get around them  so do all you can now to get the ball on the roll.  I would even look into seeing if there is anyway you can keep you current insurance but of course you may have to pay alot more for the premiums. 

I'll be praying for you and let us know how things work out.

angie

Thanks so much. Ur prayers are appreciated!