I too am hoping for revision and my apt is next week to meet the surgeon.  I have BC/BS and my policy is online also.  However, the only thing that is said about bariatric surgery is that they will only cover 50% IF the revision is medically necessary.  They will also cover 50% to take down the lap band.  I guess I will call them and see what they say.

When I was offered my new job I hesitated accepting the offer because I was so close to getting my RNY. All my pre op testing was done it was just a matter of working it in my schedule.  My family made me feel silly for even considering not taking the job.  Well I'm 3 months in and found out bariatric surgery is excluded from or policy. To say I'm bummed is a huge understatement.  Im a single mom so I can't look to a spouse's insurance.  We had medicaid but im pretty sure I don't qualify now with 2 jobs, especially since my job offers free insurance to employees.

Consider this a vent. The thought of paying out of pocket hurts my soul.  So idk how to regroup or what to do. Any tips on what worked for you or guidance will be greatly appreciated. 

~k

Race is not a factor in terms of qualifying for Medicaid, and the worker who told you that was unprofessional at best. You can't be denied Medicaid if you are eligible. You should have received a written denial which cited the specific reason(s) for your ineligibility for Medicaid and which provided information on how to appeal if you disagreed with their decision, and you should have appealed. This is the correct procedure, but it doesn't sound like it was followed. If that's the case there's very likely no record that you even went to the welfare office, let alone talked to someone about your situation. You received a pretty obvious clue that things were not proceeding correctly when that worker told you that you'd have received benefits if you were black or Mexican, and you took the bait. Next time, ask for an outrageous and illegal statement like that to be put in writing, and watch how fast gears start to shift.

As for ObamaCare, I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't cover WLS. No plan purchased through the Marketplace covers it, not even the most expensive plan, not even if you forgo any subsidy that you're eligible for and opt to pay the full premium. You (general you) would have to purchase a plan directly from the insurance company of your choice after determining that it will cover WLS. And you should also be prepared to pay top dollar for it. Yes, it stinks, but if you need to hate on someone, hate on the profiteering insurance companies and the people who think success at weight loss is merely a matter of will power and and strong personal morals -- unless you've got bucks, of course.

However, even though it won't help you with WLS, you should be eligible to get a plan through ObamaCare. You would have to document your ineligibility for Medicaid, though, and you would also need to show some income. If you live with your fiance, you can give his income information and note that this is for a household of two. If he gets insurance through work, note that and also note that this insurance is not available for you. You should qualify to buy a plan through the Marketplace and to receive a subsidy as well. While it won't cover WLS, it will cover other stuff like proper treatment for PCOS (which might help your weight loss efforts), not to mention proper treatment of your other health issues.

The open enrollment deadline has passed, but it would still be worth a call or visit to Healthcare.gov to see if they can help you before open enrollment returns in October. There were reports on national news indicating that there were some situations in which people could get extensions to enroll and yours might be one of them. There are also various agencies in each state which have workers called navigators to help people who are having trouble making their way through the process. You should be able to find out more about navigators in your area at Healthcare.gov.

Good luck!

Many people have one car and still share the car for work. You can also work from home.  Many of us had to switch insurance many times before we were covered.

Check out the exciting announcement of the first six speakers for our ObesityHelp National Conference 2014.  We have a great lineup already with more speakers to be added - including our Key Note speaker that you will LOVE!