Ohio State Bill-41 on Weight Loss Surgery

Hello all, In doing research I found out that there is a state bill that mandates insurance companies cover WLS in the state of Ohio where medical necessity is proven or BMI is over 40. The bill is "stuck" in committee and appears to be dying a slow death. I have written letters to the Vice Chair and two democratic members of the committee. Please take the time to click the following links to read the Ohio State Bill #41: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=125_SB_41 email the Vice Chair of the Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee Senator Jeffry Armbruster: [email protected] email the Ranking Minority member of the Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee Senator Ray Miller: [email protected] email the democratic memeber of the Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee Senator Teresa Fedor: [email protected] I am a resident of Northern Kentucky and am not a constituent of any of these Senators. But I work in the city of Cincinnati and pay taxes. With no voting power in Ohio, my voice only goes so far. But those of you who live in the state of OHIO have a bigger voice. Take some time to write the state senators and tell them how you feel about this bill sitting in their committee since March of 2003 with no action taken! These are the people you put in office to work for you! Here's a portion of the letter I wrote. Feel free to copy and paste as needed. Senator, I have some grave concerns that the State Bill #41 is going to die in committee. As you probably know, in April 2003, Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Center's for Disease Control stated in no uncertain terms that Obesity is the Number 1 health threat in the United States today topping deaths caused by smoking. In 1991 the National Institute of Health found that very low calorie diets simply do not work long term when dealing with Obese and Morbidly Obese people. The Consensus report went on to hold that the only option in these situations is gastric restrictive surgery. In fact, the Dartmouth-Hitch**** Medical Center has released research that shows that gastric bypass not only helps patients take excess weight off and keep it off, it may also increase life expectancy by three years or more. I must tell you on a personal level; I have experienced humiliation, health defects and personal difficulties as a result of my obesity. My co-morbidities, to wit: health conditions that are caused or worsened by my obese condition will be lessened if not cured as shown by recent medical studies. The health savings are tremendous. The financially savings to our country and the state of Ohio in terms of medical expenses are enormous. I applaud Senator Hagan for introducing the bill in 2003. But am sadly disappointed that the Insurance, Commerce and Labor committee has yet to take any action. Please have someone from your staff contact me to let me know how the committee will proceed on this bill. Sincerely,

Senator Teresa Fedor - got up Medicaids behind for me and made things happen when they had stalled. I already had my approval, but Medicaid was just trying to wear me out along with my approval duration. My hats off to her! surgery date 11/22/04 w/o her assistance it MIGHT have been in 2005.

I will get on this ASAP. I have had too many people I love and respect refused just in this last year. I hope everyone jumps on this because I was told the insurance companies were going to tighten up even more.

I just heard from source that congress is going to try to stop this type of surgery due to all the risk. They are saying that there are to many complications. Now this came from a Cardiologist Dr. So everyone needs to get their voices heard before it is too late Jackie

I can't believe this is true as medicare just ruled that obesity is a disease and "blessed" weight loss surgery. Who knows what will happen, but right now it seems the pendulum is swinging in our direction. Dr. C The Deaconess Surgical Weight Loss Center Cincinnati, Ohio (513) 559-2545

I, too, have been writing letters and made phone calls to our representatives to try and get SB 41 moving. I believe this pending bill is one of the reasons the company I work for finally gave in and allows WLS for it's employees. I've never gotten a good answer as to what the hold up is, but it's likely the insurance lobby has something to do with it. The best part about it, if passed, is that insurance companies will not only have to approve WLS but they will have to pay for the same % of it as they do any other medically necessary surgeries. So if they cover 80% of gall bladder surgery, they can't say they'll only cover 50% of WLS. This would be a real victory for all of us!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the following was the web article that was done on me from an actual news story the local ABC TV-13 news channel did on me back in January 2003: I-Team Update Watch video We have an encouraging I-Team update that may make you smile. In May, the I-Team told you about an obese man fighting an insurance company to get weight loss surgery. Randy Leck is so big that he struggles to simply move. But now, he's just days away from starting to lose that weight. Randy Leck weighs 550 pounds and one day he dreams to go to Cedar Point with his family. His doctors say he needs the popular lap-band or gastric bypass surgery to lose weight and live, but his insurance company refused to cover it. The I-Team found that most Ohio insurance companies don't cover the procedure and instead spend 3 times more on medications. After our story. Leck qualified through a special disability insurance and they did cover it. Now his surgery is finally scheduled for Monday. Doctors say he should lose 280 pounds the first year. We will update you on Leck's surgery. Because of our story, state senators reintroduced a bill that would require all Ohio insurance companies to cover some weight loss surgeries. The bill is still pending. For more information, go to Ohio laws, acts and legislations website. 6-18-03 This bill was reintroduced by her back in March, I even have her on the videos that I made of the news story saying how so important it is to her and how much she supports it. All FACE TIME for her, that is all that it was!!! She did nothing in fact but just reintroduce it, and didnt follow thru with it. Not to rain on your parade but I fought 2 years before getting my surgery, and she or the news was not any help what so ever. Any questions please feel free to E-mail me. By the way as a matter of fact, she was so concerned that she never even returned my call after I contacted her about the bill that she had supposedly re-introduced on my behalf because of my struggle, for everyone fighting. FACE TIME, plain and simple!!!!!!!!!!!

So Randy, Did you contact the news after you lost all that weight and ask them to do a follow up on you and the State Bill? If so, what did they say? I know Sandy Pierce has been on the local news several times doing stories on her weight loss. How about one of those expose reporters. You know the ones that do the consumer beware stories. They love juicy stories. Just some suggestions. The worst thing you could do is quit fighting now that you got your surgery. There are many of us still in the fight and need people like you who can be the shining examples in the media and politician's eyes. We all have to move this moster towards a change! Thanks for your support!

Yes actually I did contact the Station including, Jason Knowles I-Team Reporter (Who no longer is employed there), the news director and a couple of the anchors, I sent them all the same E-mail concerning how well I am doing now, and I would be willing to do a follow up for them. That was I think back in June, and I never heard a thing. I cant find that E-mail, but Im still looking. I am totally willing to go back on the news again for all the other people still fighting, Ive been there and it sucks!! The weight that I had almost costed me my life, and no one really seemed to care, so I know exactly what all of you are struggling with trying to get it covered. I now think I am in a fight again with the Ins. Company, I am currently trying to get my incisional line Hernia reapired, I already had a massive hernia pre-surgery, and the surgery just worsened it. The surgeon said it was one of the worst ones that he had seen, I look like im about 18 months pregnant with twins. Now the Ins. company wants a predetemination because they say that if it was caused by the surgey they will not cover it, I about fell out of my chair when the lady told me that. Even if it was, which it totally wasnt, I have pre-surgery documentation showing that I already had one. I cant believe that they would not cover it, it is a medical issue, not even close to a vanity issue or something along those lines. I also contacted the Maury Show concerning a previous post on a future story they were doing on people that had surgery and lost weight, and never heard back from them either, Im starting to think it is just me, LOL, its not for my lack of trying to help educate the public, and trying to put pressure on the Ins. companies and the politicians now that I am post-op, and have real very noticeable results, and many improvements in my medical conditions, and will be going back to work this winter, even after the disability doctor said he doubted that I would ever be able to work again, even if I did get the surgery. Im willing to halp any way that I can to help all of you, but I am just one voice, more people to need to speak up, speak loud and be heard!!!