BC/BS no longer covering WLS after 2004?!?!?!?

I have heard through the rumor mill that BC/BS will no longer be covering WLS after 2004. Does anyone know if that is true or not? I currently have BC/BS but my employer has a written exclusion to covering WLS, otherwise I believe they would cover it because I am definitely eligible. My husbands employer is now offering health insurance and guess what? It is BC/BS... I do not know if they have an exclusion to WLS since I haven't seen the actual policy yet. However, if the rumor I heard is true, it won't matter cuz BC/BS wouldn't cover it in 2005 anyways... Sooooo, I would appreciate any feedback about this if anyone has heard anything. If this rumor is true, I need to start looking for another job with health insurance that WILL cover WLS. Please respond to this post if you have any information about this situation. Thank you.

Read Gary's post http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/insurance-help/postdetail/2346.html?vc=0

BCBS actually announced in 2003 that as of 2004 they would stop. In 2005 they will phase it in where and when they can. They did to some extent this year. Basically the carriers will try to exclude it where they can get away with it. Each plan renews at different times, each employer requires different things and each State allows different things, in other words, there is no general rule. Each case is seperate. BCBS said they would not cover the DS because it was experimental. Yet we have obtained approvals for the DS all year with BCBS. In one case they even offered a "secret" agreement and allowed our client who was told by another lawyer to just settle for the RNY, to go out of network and out of state. Keep in mind that each situation is unique. Don't panic. Gary Viscio www.obesitylawyers.com

BCBS is not owned by one single company. Anthem/Wellpoint merged this year, and I believe between the two companies, they now have a great deal of the business under one umbrella. Some BCBS are owned in just that particular state. If you are covered under an Employee Benefit Plan, as most working folks are, the decision to exclude WLS lies with your employer, and not the insurance company. In that case, BCBS ( or any other large insurance company like UHC, Cigna, Aetna, etc.,) act as the Claims Administrator, and nothing more. Ask your employer for a copy of your Summary Plan Description booklet, and read it cover to cover, paying special attention to "exclusions" or "benefits not covered." Therein lies your answers... Fight the good fight! Roberta