medicare rules change: surgeries cancelled

medicare has just issued new rules that require any center doing bariatric surgery to go through a new certification process which medicare that will take a minimum of six to twelve months to obtain the certification. so my March 21st surgery is canceleld, until, like 2008. I am devastated.

well, okay, I exagerated. .. I might get the survery in 2007. . . after waiting a LONG, LO-O-N-N-N-G time already, now I can do nothing but wait and wait and wait some more. I am curious. Other people post news of their surgery setbacks and get support. Have I done something to irritate people? Is that why no one responds to me when I report my loss? Is it because I use an anonymous name? Folks realize, right, that everything they post in here can be seen by anyone with a modem? I don't use my real name because I don't necesarily want potential employers to know about my private health care issues. We are all just one google away from having our private lives found out. so if my impulse to be private is why I don't get any support when my surgery is cancelled out of the blue. . . . I can live with that. . . but if I've done something that makes people dislike me, I'd like to know.

I'll respond! hehe.. seriously though, your post has just filled me with unimaginable horror.. I'm a good year and a half in for waiting for surgery through medicaid, with my whole damnable life on hold for this long year and half, and the thought that the gov'ment is again trying to slap down people just wanting to be healthy freaks me out no end! if you don't mind me asking, what hospital/surgeon were you with? and??? and let me express this to you, that I am so so so sorry for this happening to you and anyone else. My thoughts are with you V.

this is for medicare not medicaide? i dunno if i spelled the last one right...but is that what u talking about? I am sooo sorry ur surgery got kicked back..that has to suck after waitin forever it seems already...where can i find out about the changes in the laws??? I read somewhere not sure where but that it was wayyyyyyyyy easier in 2002 or there abouts than it will be from now on..like in 2006..do you agree and what has changed since more peeps are getting it done and they are doing less invasive ones now..i am sooooooooooo confused!! HELP!!!

Where did you get this information? I mean is there a link I can visit or is it something you have to have Medicare send you? Cindy in Wenatchee

Hi there, I too was scheduled for surgery 3/10...Dr. Jeff Hunter is my surgeon and Virginia Mason Hosp is where my surgery was to be. I am also medicare. medicare on 2/26, I believe, stopped paying for bariatric surgery for medicare patients until the hospital had a "Center of Excellence" certification. There is only one hospital in Washington State with that certification and that is St. Francis in Federal Way. Their bariatric surgeons do not take medicare patients. I have heard that the paperwork is a red tape nightmare and that the delay could be months. I am looking out of Washington State now. I just have to do something or I will get so depressed I'll give up. I understand your deveastation and I would have answered you immediately, but I did not see your message until this morning. Keep fighting, praying and just keep looking...