Question:
Need advice: Denied by Anthen - need medical supervised diet history

I am asking this question for a friend who has been denied by Anthem. She was told she needs to submit medically supervised diet history. Her PCP does not have extensive medical records, not even a weight history (I know that sounds crazy but I guess it's true). She has been on Weight Watchers and Diet Workshop but did not keep her weight logs, membership cards etc. Has anyone else been in this position and were you able to get around it?    — Karen F. (posted on May 12, 2001)

May 12, 2001
Being the paranoid type I am signing this anon. because who knows if the insurance co. reads this, but i'm 46 years old, and through all this time, I don't remember any doctor putting me on a specific diet. Occasionally they would say I should lose weight, and my current PCP did prescribe Xanix for a while. I had tried diets since i was young, YOu name them, diet pills in the 70's, the Hollywood fruit diet, Nutri system, Weight watchers Jenny Craig, Cabbage soup, starvation, Slim Fast, Metrocal (I think that's what it was called, anybody remember that one?) Atkins, TOPS, OA, Pritkins, Herbal remedys, starvation, (did I mention that one.) a protein drink one, eating all vegetables, YOu name it , I probably tried it. The point being, I don't think if I had tried, I would have been able to get records of me dieting, except for maybe Jenny Craig, and I don't know how far back they keep them. SO when I filled this part out, I thought of the era and guestamated the time, the amount lost and of course the amount regained. I'm sure I'm not the only one. So while the info is not real accurate, it is based on fact. Doesn't it strike you as odd how the doctors tend to overlook this problem, unless of course you come up with a medical problem like diabetes. etc. I smoke too and nobody has really made a fuss over that either. Maybe they don't have the time or they think it isn't worth their breath, since it is one of those things they really can't cure with a script. You think???
   — [Anonymous]

May 13, 2001
I have Empire BC/BS and had to go thru 2 denials before getting approved. With my appeal letter I listed each diet seperatly and listed how much weight gained/lost with each one and why I wasn't able to stay on it (like too many restrictions or unsafe.) The Insurance company knows you may not be able to access these records and you need to let them know that you know they know. If possible you may need to get on a program right now with you PCP and make sure the info is documented and then try again for approval. I know that isn't easy to swallow but it may be the only way.
   — kristen H.