I-CHIP in Illinois with BCBS

After fighting with CIGNA for 18 months and getting a lawyer to no avail, I qualified for Blue Cross I-CHIP coverage after my COBRA coverage ran out. It was a wonderful lucky break for me. If you can qualify for it, GET IT. http://www.chip.state.il.us/ The I-CHIP admin people were so helpful about everything and really seemed to want me to get the surgery! Under their procedures I had to apply to Blue Cross first. When I was denied I wrote an appeal letter. This is where I-CHIP stepped in. They had an independent reviewer look everything over. This reviewer was a doctor in Boston. She called my doctor and they discussed my case at length. She requested that I have an echocardiogram, a consultation with a nutritionist, and a more detailed psych evaluation. I did all three and an I-CHIP representative assigned to my case sent them directly to the reviewer. Within five business days I was approved. The CHIP rep called me personally to say she was so happy to give good news. I started to work with my doctor last year to do monthly weigh-ins and have notes from her. When I wrote my appeal letter for I-CHIP, I copied some material from the appeals document the lawyer had sent to CIGNA. I had three co-morbidities: hypertension, high cholesterol, and I was pre-diabetic. I specifically argued against the dieting requirement by citing my medical history and current condition. My coverage started in January and I had my approval by June. I-CHIP handled everything quickly with no stupid games like CIGNA tried to put over on me. I-CHIP coverage for me is nearly $700 a month but I feel this is the only way I would have gotten coverage for WLS. My out-of-pocket is ZERO for the surgeon and hospital costs.