Good that you have found another physician.  Most will refer you to the 'local' program for bariatric surgery.  Once there, you will have contact with the surgeon.

OHP will not be able to give you any specifics.  It will depend on the information provided by the pcp and the surgeon.  However, most surgeons will be able to tell you whether you meet the criteria.

Hang in there.  At the least, your pcp can prescribe an antidepressant to help you feel better in the short term.

best of luck.

thank you guys so much for the advice. I actually have already found a new dr. I did do my research and found a female doctor who seems to have a great reputation, although I didn't think to ask about her experience with WLS. I have an appt. to see her in a couple of weeks. I guess we'll see what happens. Next step to do I think Is call OHP and have them send me some info. I will definately ask those questions you suggested.

I really appreciate your help in giving me some advice to get me started in the right direction. I know I need to have this done, but I havn't got an extra 20 g's layin' around, ya know? I mean, who does, really? I know a lot of people who have had this done that aren't rich or anything. So how did they do it? Probably just the same as many of you have, I guess.

Are there any success stories out there with people who have gotten OHP to pay for their surgery? How did you go about it?

Thanks all, so much
Jess

I attended the Legacy surgery seminar when I was starting the process.  I thought they had a really good seminar which was presented by Dr. Halpin.  She seem very knowledgable and had quite the background in weight loss surgery procedures.  My primary had recommended Legacy and their Director Dr. Emma Patterson.  I have heard nothing but god things.

It sounded as if it was immediate.  As soon as I receive an official statement I will share.  Maybe some calls from everyone will show them that there is interest.

Katie is giving you a lot of good advice. But, let me chime in and verify that you need a new doctor.

A year ago I went to my PCP and (once again) asked for help taking off my 300+ lbs that I had for the past 10 years. All he suggested was all the stuff that I had already tried and failed (WW, Nutrosystem, etc.) I was mad!!

Then, a co-worker said he was getting RNY surgery and our company insurance covered it. I went to our insurance website and verified that it was covered. I called the insurance and they told me there was only one weight loss clinic in my state that they covered. I went to them. (FYI, they are a Bariatric Center for Excellence - something I'd look for in a WLS clinic.)

I let the clinic take care of all the paper work, insurance forms, etc. I started working with them in July and had surgery in October. WLS clinics are the professionals and they know what the insurance companies require. A PCP is rarely equiped to handle the boondogle approval process for weight loss surgery.

Although I'm not currently in Oregon (moving there shortly), my WLS doctor said that OHSU is an excellent facility. He suggested I go there if I run into problems while living in the Portland area. However, I just found out that my insurance only covers Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center (and they are a Bariatric Center for Excellence).

Finally, be sure to research all your options. Although my doctor does lap band, RNY, DS, and VGS he went over the pros and cons with me and recommended RNY for me. There's really no single solution for everyone. But, make sure you make an informed decision.