Down with my insurance company!! Age an issue??

Hello all. I am 20 years of age, weighed 338 lbs. and am 5'4". When I met my surgeon, he told me to lose 10% of the weight, 30 lbs, or forget the surgery altogether. He wants to see how determined his patients are about this. He was blown away by how dedicated I was and I'm now down to 300 lbs. after about three months. I called my ins. co., Cigna (I'm on the HMO plan) and they said they wanted a letter from my PCP and surgeon, a psych eval and proof of a supervised six-month diet that I'd been on. I had tried Xenical for six months previously under the supervision of my PCP. We turned everything into them and thought it would go to the review board next. Wrong. They called back a week later and said they needed proof of another supervised six-month diet plan and for me to get an appointment to see a Nutritionist. I was very upset, because I'd really like to get this surgery before the summer's end as I start college classes again in fall. But I went ahead and sent them another diet (I'd been with Weight Watchers for six months in 2001) and also a very detailed letter of my entire dieting history. All I needed was to see the Nutritionist and I'd be all set! When I went to the appt, however, the Nutritionist apparently thought I was to be on a six-month diet with her before they'd consider me for surgery. I thought she was to help with the after surgery care. Neither of us are sure what the insurance wants. All I know is I've been on diet after diet since I was eight, and there is NO WAY I'm going on another six month diet that isn't going to work!! I will if I have to, but I am SO TIRED of jumping through these hoops! Do you think that the fact that I'm only 20 years old is putting my ins. co. off? It's like they think I'm 20, stupid and don't know what I want so they want to run me through the wringers a few times. Should I try to look into self-pay? Should I wait on the insurance co. and do what they ask? Please help.

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