NO Medicaid/Medipass Surgeons in Florida!

I have spent the past 3 years trying to get a referal from, first: Voc Rehab, then, Medicaid/Medipass. Yesterday I was on cloud nine after my PCP FINALLY gave me a referal to Dr Rosenthal at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL! Alas, Dr Rosenthal and the Cleveland Clinic just recently quit accepting Medicaid patients, and after a day of searching, and having a lot of help from my PCP's office, we have come to the (hopefully not) inescapable conclusion that there are no longer ANY Bariatric Surgeons in the State of FL acceptiong Medicaid or Medicaid/medipass patients. In the past three years, my health has declined precipitouly; exponentially even. To much to bore you with details. Forgive me if this sounds melodramatic, but I am certain if I have to fight this fight for another 3 years, that time period will be cut short by my premature demise. I am afraid - no, I am terrified - and I am paralyzed by fear, depression, and grief. I finally have everything I need to help myself, but no Dr to help me. Maybe this is some kind of twisted Karma. Should I just tery to accept this? Please help me...

I am so sorry to hear of your dilemna. Have you tried searching on OH for a surgeon in your area that may accept your insurance? What about going outside of your state for surgery? Is this an option? Just DON'T GIVE UP! There has got to be a solution somewhere. KEEP LOOKING and praying for an answer. I am in a similar situation because my employer funded health insurance has an exclusion for WLS. I was devastated when I found out last week. I had finally decided that WLS was the right choice for me, only to find out that my insurance won't cover it... So, I have decided to look for another job with insurance that will cover WLS which will set me back at least a year. I am also afraid for my health and worry about what it will be like by the time I can finally have the surgery. I also worry about finding another job, as I am sure you all can relate to discrimination in the workplace, it's always in the back of my mind when going for a new job that the interviewer will not be able to look past my weight, no matter how qualified I am for the position or how well I interview... Oh well, where there is a will, there is always a way. Have faith. If all else fails, and I know this is a drastic measure, but maybe you can move to another state, even set up a temporary residence, in order to have the surgery. Your life may be dependent on it. You can always move back to FL afterwards. Just a thought. I will pray for you. Take Care.