Question:
How do I get insurance approval?

Please forward Information Sheets to me. I am trying to obtain all of the information I can because I am in need of the surgery and want to make the process of obtaining permission from my Insurance provider and also want to know what to expect from the surgery procedure itself. My email address is [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your help.    — Vaneda B. (posted on December 24, 2002)

December 23, 2002
Hi, The first thing you need to do is chose a surgeon. His office will get the ball rolling on your insurance approval. But you can call the customer service number on your insurance card and ask them if this surgery is covered.Tell them it is for gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity. Sometimes they have an exclusion which means that unless they state for medical necessity only there is no way around it. Do all your research here at this ssite. You can find out anything you want to know by going into the different sections here. Good luck
   — Delores S.

December 23, 2002
Welcome, be sure to look at the before and after photos here. You might want to buy a book like this one. It was written by a member here Barb Thompson.<P>http://www.wlscenter.com/ <P> Do check out my surgeons on line realplayer support group meetings. Just be patient so it has time to load. <P>http://www.upmc.edu/obesitysurgery/monthlySupportGroup.htm
   — bob-haller

December 24, 2002
Do call your insurance company's customer service line. However, no matter what they tell you, ask them to send it to you in writing. My customer service rep told me the surgery wasn't covered, so I asked for it in writing. My policy doesn't cover treatment for obesity because it is not a 'disease', but it does cover the surgery under certain conditions. I more than met those conditions and had no trouble getting approved. I would do that before I did anything else.
   — garw

December 26, 2002
Vaneda, check out this website: "http://www.obesitylaw.com" -- it has a lot of information that I think you'll find extremely helpful. When the website comes up, you'll see the homepage and another smaller "window" that pops up on top of it showing their address change. You can just close that window, to view the homepage for The Obesity Law & Advocacy Center. Scroll down, and near the bottom of the page you'll see an "index" of the various "sections" for the website. Click on the word "Articles" -- you'll find some excellent advice here regarding insurance. Make sure you read ALL of the articles. If you don't have time just then, print out the stuff and save it for when you have more time. But I'm sure that you'll find this site to be extremely helpful.
   — Allison S.

December 12, 2009
I used ObesityLaw.com to overturn my denial from Aetna. They are terrific, committed to equal rights for the obese and low cost. Since most insurance companies try to deny procedures based on their own non-medical criteria (which they are not allowed to do) be prepared for an initial denial. Don't let it throw you (or stop you). Your bariatric surgeon will go over all the different types of surgery and proceedures to help you make an informed decision. You'll find a lot of helpful information from people here as well that gives you the patient's perspective. Good luck. K
   — SeattleBiggie