Federal BCBS Q - HELP PLEASE !!!

Ok - after Federal BCBS PPO swore up and down that the lap band absolutely was not covered and they would only pay for Gastric Bypass I have now found two people (one from 2003, and one from July 2005) that did get Federal BCBS to pay, despite their clear exclusion: The following are excluded from this plan: Services, drugs, or supplies for the treatment of obesity, weight reduction, or dietary control, except gastric bypass surgery or gastric stapling procedures; or Services not specifically listed as covered. I may use these two cases of people to appeal - I am looking for more also --- PLEASE HELP - Please email me if you have had federal BCBS PPO approve or pay for your lap band procedure. Please provide your name, your doctors name, the state you live in, your surgery date, and the hospital where you had surgery. If they are approving some people and not others and its a national plan I think I may have grounds for appeal !! PLEASE PLEASE HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Inamed, the company that makes the band, has a team that does nothing but fight for coverage of the Lap Band. They have the arsenal and they have the resources. You should try to contact them. Their phone number is 1-877-LAP-BAND. Good Luck.

Are you sure these folks had BCBS PPO and not the HMO? Any updates on this?