Need Your HELP again!! Which Plan is easier to get WLS approval??

I currently have BCBS of IL PPO and as I stated in my earlier post, they are really giving me a hard time. My company is having open enrollment for 2006 in 2 weeks and I'm thinking about switching from my current plan but I have a couple of questions..... Can anyone tell me which plan has been the easiest to get WLS approval? Are they hard to deal with? What are their requirements for WLS? The Plan choices are as follows: UnitedHealthcare Choice EPO, Aetna HealthFund, & Kaiser HMO.

i have been hearing and reading that Kaiser does not pay for the WLS whatsoever! you just need to make sure that WLS is NOT an exclusion on any plan that you may be looking at, i am not sure how to check into that, maybe talk to your HR department. Tammy =)

Thanks Tammy, I guess Kaiser HMO is O.U.T !!!! Also, my company is having a benefits fair on 11/16/05 and a representative from each plan will be there. You know I will be asking if their plan covers WLS and I will taking names of the people I speak to.

That isn't the case that Kaiser won't cover WLS at all. We have Kaiser, and it is covered. All of those carriers, UHC, Kaiser and Aetna will cover if your employer has added a rider to cover the surgery. It isn't up to the individual insurance carriers necessarily...it is up to your company. so, check with your HR rep and see if they have a rider.

I had Kaiser in the beginning and did a lot of reserach on this. As a rule, I think the way it works is Kaiser HMO does not like to cover ANY type of weight loss services. They don't cover WLS, any sort of pills like Phentermine or (Whatever that other one is) they just want you to diet and eat healthy and exercise. However, there are two employers in the state of Georgia that have instructed Kaiser to cover WLS. I don't recall who those companies were but that was what the Kaiser people told me when I first called to inquire about the surgery. This was in 2002, so there is always a possibility they have changed, but if you ever see their commercials even there they indicate they are more about diet instead of medical interventions for weight loss. As for other insurance companies, you need to specifically make sure that your company does not have an exclusion policy with that plan for WLS. BCBS of GA is out, but I have Empire BCBS and they covered mine, so don't be scared of the BCBS name, just verify which state sponsors the plan. But the best suggestion was what someone said earlier, speak with representatives and double check their answers to make sure that the plan covers the surgery before you sign up and commit yourself to anything. Hope that helps. Valarie