BCBS Alabama Denied Denied Denied !!!!!!!!!!

Karen, I dont' know what we can do but play the insurance company's puppet. Do as they tell us or do without. Sometimes I think they would rather to see obese people suffer and possibly die than to pay for this surgery. What I don't get is...with all the medical documentation about how life threatening obesity is why they are going to such extreme. I think that anyone who has this surgery should be well informed. Yes, there are risks...but let's look at the risks of obesity. In the long run if we don't get this surgery we will suffer with... 1. Heart disease (Hypertension, stroke, Coronary artery disease)...and mind you heart bypass surgery is much more expensive than gastric bypass. 2. Respiratory problems (obstructive sleep apnea, shortness of breath) 3. Circulatory problems (peripheral vascular disease, edema) 4. Bone and joint disorders (arthritis, disk problems in the knees, neck, back..sometimes requiring surgery). 5. Nerve problems ( neuropathy) 6. Hormonal problems (Irregular menstral cycles, and polycystic ovarian syndrome..which is worse with obesity) 7. Mental anguish, from the discrimination against obesity, and the effects being obese does on your self esteem and confidence. In the long run, insurance companies are going to pay out more money for the complications than for the initial surgery itself. I myself suffer from High blood pressure(hypertension), obstructive sleep apnea, shortness of breath, edema in feet and lower legs, osteoarthritis, polycycstic ovarian syndrome and the low confidence level. I personally don't know what else to do but to try another diet with my M.D. I wish that the diet would work..however, I know that for all these years I have tried all different types of diets and workouts...and the most I have lost is around 30 pounds...and then weight slowly climbs back up. I am active in my job as an RN, don't live a sedentary lifestyle. I am afraid however that if I don't get this surgery that my health will continue to decline to the point that I eventually won't be able to work. I don't want that because I love being a nurse. Anyway, I didn't mean to babble on ....if you have any thoughts email me.

I forgot to add to my list of complications... 8. Diabetes..which leads to diabetic retinopathy, decubitus which require debridement and often amputation thus requiring prosthetics, ect. Obesity is a disease...just as much as Coronary Artery Disease, Emphysema, Anorexia...ect...they are ALL diseases. Wanting weight loss surgery is not for cosmetic reasons...it is because we want to be healthy. We want to watch our children grow up and see our grandchildren born. We just want to enjoy life without the complications that obesity incurs on us each and every day of our life. Thanks for reading... Beth

Hey Karen, I just thought of something. In the BCBS new requirements it states that in lieu of medical record documentaton of morbid obesity that they will accept dated photographs with a letter from the m.d. Check out BCBS of Alabama's web site, go to provider section, look up medical policies and then look for the link for surgical management of morbid obesity. You can read word for word what they are stating as their requirements. Good luck, I hope it works out for us. Keep in touch if you would like. If you hear anything or have any suggestions let me know. Thanks, Beth

What do you bet that they are counting on the fact that overweight people avoid being in pictures-- expecting few people have them!while Omn the meantime, allowing the pictures as documentation makes them look HELPFUL, and COOPERATIVE with NO REAL ADDED COST TO THEM or MU*****REASE IN APPROVAL RATE EITHER!!!!