BCBS/NC State Plan - Pre Exsisting Condition

Hello! Okay, here is the deal.... I'm currently working for a great company that just happens to have United Health Care and the surgery is 100% excluded..... However, I'm willing to work around the insurance thing and do WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!! Therefore, I'm planning on applying for a job with the state around December/January. I know that my insurance will then be BCBS of NC. I worked for the state 3 years ago and at that time, the BCBS/NC plan DID cover WLS. Does anybody know if it still does and if so what are the requirements..... I'm working on my six month medically supervised diet right now!!

Recently I've been thinking about how when you first get on a new insurance plan and they send you a letter saying they won't cover any "Pre Existing Condition" for up to one year. Well, I'm wondering if my going to the doctor right now for my medically supervised diet will show up as obesity being a "pre existing condition" when I get a new insurance plan........

ANY advise would be greatly apreciated!

PXC only applies if you have a gap in coverage (the gap time varies...) if you have continuous coverage you should not have a problem.

As long as you don't have a lapse in coverage for more than 63 days in between insurance plans AND you have had coverage for the last 18 months without a lapse of more than 63 you will be fine. I dealt with this mess with BCBS when I got my insurance back in June. I barely made the cutoff and had 62 days lapse. If your insurance with the state doesn't start right away- while I realize it is expensive- you will definitely need to keep COBRA insurance so you dont' have that lapse in insurance- this will cover you and will make you one stop closer to the surgery.  Some things you should know about BCBS in my state- which is AZ- and might be similar to the plan in your state is that you have to do a 6 month diet supervised by your dr- so get started on that now. It will make the time go faster. Next, you have to have a diagnoses of MO for the last 5 years. This means either a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35+ with a co-morbity. Last but not least, you have to do a face to face meeting once a week with a nurtitionist or diet professional- the easier way to do this is either weigh****chers or join a gym and pay for a personal trainer one hour a week to discuss diet and exercise. I went with the personal trainer program and hired someone from craigslist.org. They were much cheaper, easier to work around my schedule, and it's easier to find someone who is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer somewhere other than at the gym. If you do the WW thing- MAKE SURE YOU DISCUSS YOUR EXERCISE WITH A DR- because BCBS states that you have to have proof of an exercise program. Ok, I know I gave you a lot more info than you asked for- but I know the biggest struggle I faced when choosing a job was not being sure what my insurance policy was on WLS.  Good luck and let us know how the job hunt goes.

Thank you for the info!! I'm working on my six month diet right now. As for the face to face meeting once a week with a nurtitionist or diet professional; how long will BCBS want me to do this and should I begin now??? Thanks Again!

No sweat- I know how frustrated I was when I first joined these boards and didnt know anything about my insurance, PE waiting periods, and all sorts of other stuff. My criteria states that I am required to do this while doing my 6 month diet- so if I were you I would call the customer service line and ask them very directly if you have to do this. If you have a fax I would be happy to send you the information that I printed from their website. You can private message me your fax number.  Nicole