???question

i plan on having vsg surgery in mexico if i come back and have complications like a leak,where would i go to get help and would my regular insurance cover it?i have united health care and the plan im on dont cover bariatric surgery.i need the surgery in the worst way but scared of no one wanting to help me after i get back home.having someone comment by saying you will be fine hun is not very comforting!!!

I would check with my Primary Care Doctor.  Mine said that he would take care of me once I got back if I had an issue.  His quote was, "Insurance would pay to fix you if you blew your hand off with a shotgun and this is no different."  Maybe that's not quite right, but you get the point.  People do things to themselves everyday that land them in the ER to be fixed and insurance covers it.

Insurance might not cover the procedure, but they'd likely cover internal issues related to it.

I know your insurance is not covering the surgery but can you ask a rep from the company on these issues If you have to be treated once you  leave mexico.  I wish you luck on your surgery.  coco135

Also if you have to you can go to the emergency room and I was told that your insurance should pay cause its not lthe surgery its a problem with your stomach

Well, firstly an emergency room cannot fix your leak, and most importantly, a leak is a problem with your stomach because you had surgery on it.  They are well within rights to not cover it.

They are well within rights to not cover my anemia/protein/iron issues because those issues are known to happen after gastrectomies and I did have a gastrectomy, so, please do not count on that information holding true.

DO NOT ASK YOUR INSURANCE! If they say no, and they will, then you cannot make them pay it later. They have to cover you for everything other than bariatric surgery, but if you ask them to cover something and are denied, then they can claim later they are not responsible. I work in Health care, so am familar with their tricks. Talk to your regular Dr.  Mine covered everything after I came back from Mexico. Not that there is a lot a Dr needs to do for you after a sleeve. All you will need is your 3 month blood work done. So make an appointment for 3-6-9-and 12 months to have your bloodwork done.

Thank you bikerchick!
That is what I was trying to say! I geuss Brandi didnt quite understand, also yes at the hospital they do in fact fix leaks and they also have a Dr there that knows all about it, at least in Oregon they do.

My Cousin's insurance (Humana) would not cover WLS, so she had a gastric band in Mexico.  It slipped up to her lower esophagus.  She's in a lot of pain. Her insurance company is covering the removal of it and a revision to RNY.  Go figure, they wouldn't help her initially, but they're helping her now.

The next question is which surgeon are you using in Mexico?  There are a select few that many people here have used with great success.  These surgeons are very professional and won't send you home unless you are in good shape.

dr rodriguez

Here are a couple of mexico surgeons I hear a lot about that seem to be the most popular.  Anyone else can please pipe in with other great ones that I don't know about it.


http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+p rofile+Guillermo+Alvarez+rrg.html


http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+p rofile+Alberto+Aceves+lpc.html


I've read many blogs about these two.  Patients seem to have fanastic experiences with them.