Question:
i will sign on with cigna in sept. how long will i have to wait for surgery...

how long do i have to be on insurance before they will pay for weight loss surgery....    — SHERRY M. (posted on July 22, 2002)

July 22, 2002
I had to fight with Cigna for 13 months beofre gaining approval for my WLS back in March. It was quite the process and I had to go through 2 denials and a committee review. Just keep in min that you are worth it and fight them to the end -- if you need any help with letters or appeals please let me know and I would be happy to send you copies of the letters I wrote. If you've never been on a medically supervised diet -- start now!!
   — lilmskitty

July 22, 2002
I had to wait from January to May of 2002 to get my approval. In VA, Cigna has a requirement that you must have documentation to show that you have been on 12 weeks of physician supervised dieting in the last year. If you don't have that now, START NOW. It will shorten your wait. Start making sure your PCP has notes on all your co-morbidities because Cigna will want to see them. Then resolve to be persistent until you get what you want. Good Luck!
   — Cathy S.

July 23, 2002
I started Cigna PPO on Jan 1st 2002. My consult was Jan 9th. I was approved by late February and had surgery in May. My doctor took care of all of the paperwork. I had to provide no proof of my diets which is good since I did not keep these records. I was approved at 236lbs; so I was worried I (believe it or not) did not weigh enough for insurance approval. They gave me no problems.
   — tara W.