CIGNA- 2nd appeal

Getting, ready for my 2nd appeal. No documentation of this 26-week, waste of time diet, with monthly weigh-ins!! HMMMM, 26 years of "my life diets" doesnt count of course, unless documented. I never felt the need in the past 10 yrs, to see a DR to lose weight let alone get weighed. I had my own scale, I know eat less, low carbs, low sugar, low fat, diet and exercise, I can lose weight. Keeping it off and maintaining is a different story. I hope that everyone knows, that if denied by your insurance, you can go to your state medical comissioner, and fight them that way. If you meet your insuance's guidelines and your policy covers it, they can over turn the denial. Many isnsurance co. hope that we'll "just go away" and forget about it. Let them know you wont give up and you'll fight them. Warmest wishes to you all, DON'T EVER GIVE UP. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!!

Just read your post. Good Luck. I'm fighting with Cigna too. Do you know where I can find a standard appeal letter and fill in the blanks with all my info? Regards, Deborah Gonzales

HI AMANDA, SAME HERE WITH CIGNA!! IM IN INDIANA AND HAVE CIGNA INSURANCE,I JUST RECEIVED MY SECOND DENIAL LETTER FROM THE APPEALS BOARD..... IM SOOOOO ANGRY! THEY SAY I DIDNT HAVE ENOUGH DOCUMENTATIONS..... FOOOOOWIE! I SENT EVERYTHING I POSSIBLY COULD ...PLUSS PICTURES!!! (IN "PLUSS SIZES")AND THEY STILL SAID NO! I AM 47 AND HAVE DIETED SICE I WAS 7!! IM NOW 300 LBS AND HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING!!! ANY TIPS YOU MAY HAVE PLEASE LET ME KNOW..... I AT MY WITS ENDS. I NEED THIS SURGERY TO GET ON WITH MY LIFE.. I CANT EVEN CLIMB STAIRS, LET ALONE TIE MY SHOES!!GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SURGERY!!! THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT!! DEBBIE THOMPSON

Amanda, I am trying to get a denial with CIGNA overturned as well. Mine is for revision from a VBG to an RNY. They gave me the same canned response of not having completed two 6 month dr. supervised diets. Going to the dr. and taking a prescription medication is not enough. I wonder if they think puking everday counts? Sorry, I didn't mean to be so graphic but seriously everytime I try and eat a healthy diet I vomit. My policy doesn't have a written exclusion and they didn't pay for the original surgery. You would think the money for the surgeries was coming out of their own pockets. I don't think I did know about being able to appeal to my state medical commissioner. You are right in that they do hope we will just give up and go away. Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes. Piper

Hi Amanda! Just wanted you to know, you're not alone with cigna ppo...I received a denial to my first appeal on Saturday, for of course, no proof of 2 26 week medically supervised yada yada yada...Perhaps we can join forces and threaten to SUE them...like they did in Texas...A class action suit for breach of contract, failure to act in good faith, unfair practices, and just FLAT OUT BAD customer service. I submitted diet history covering the past TEN YEARS...including, weigh****chers, jenny craig, richard simmons, nutri system, cambridge diet, slimfast, cabbage diet, atkins diet, cardiac diet, "see-food diet" (lol-I just threw that one in cuz I'm rantin'). Perhaps I should compile a video retrospective of me blowin up like a whale, weighin' in at weigh****chers, huffin and puffin at walmart, and trying to get my...ahem...SELF (lol) off of the table and out of the booths at Perkins....Sorry I'm acting goofy but I have been upset all weekend..I just feel so defeated. Do ya'll think we can beat them?

Well guys, I'm thinking about backing out and just doing this chitty 6mo. diet crap. I also posted this(my first post) on the main board and got far more bad feed back than good. My policy has only 2 appeals. I'm scared to death that if I get denied again, I will have blown my last chance of having it covered and being a family of 5 living on 1 income, there is just noway of self paying. SOOO I don't know what the hell to do. One lady fought CIGNA with a lawer 2x and both times was denied b/c of the diet B.S. My emotions are just out of control at this point, Im so pissed, yet depressed. I dont know weather to go outside and scream, or crawl in bed and cry my eyes out. You know damn well that any family or friends of the review board that were trying for this, wouldnt be living in this nightmare of insurance HELL like we are. GRRRRRR by the time this is over I wont have to worry about WLS, I'll be to doped up to care from the drugs they give me at the nut house!! HMMMMM I wonder if we can sue them for mental anguish?? or mental cruelty(sp?) Anyhoo, I'll shut up, I just had to vent. And NOOOO, I will NOT give up my fight. I just had to have a little break down before I get my boxing gloves back on. Thank you all for replying to my post and for your advice, I truly appreciate it. Take care everyone, warmest wishes to all of you!!! *****Amanda Oh ya and best of luck to all of us, we'll need it.