Question:
Am I a over reactor looking for trouble?

I just became aware of AETNA's new 6 month doctor supervised exercise and diet rule. I have no doctor supervised exercise or diet anything! What can I do? Please advise me on how to proceed.    — Susan F. (posted on February 6, 2003)

February 6, 2003
My wife is the same way - she had made her appointment under the old rules and they just changed them on her. What we have done - and we are crossing our fingers - is submitted copies of her chart from the past year. Even though there isn't any physician documentation of weight loos, there is documentation of the stress test that she took prior to joining the fitness center at the hospital she works at. There is also documentation of the two additional diabetes medicines that she's been put on over the last year. So hopefully, the powers-that-be at Aetna will look at this and see that this person requesting approval is not doing so frivelously. If they deny her, then we either go appeal using the lawyers at obesitylaw.com or get the PCP to document everything this year and try again next year...JR
   — John Rushton

February 6, 2003
It is not totally new I was approved in October and had to have the supervised diet, my doctor wrote a letter stating that I had been on three months over the last year that she supervised but I had been a patient for over 5 years and had tried varies diets and she sent them my weight charts for that entire five years and I got approved on the first try. Good luck. Alicia
   — Alicia K.

February 7, 2003
This isn't new for Aetna. I had surgery 4-11-01 and needed 2 medically supervised diets within my history. 6 months really isn't that long of a time. Yes, it seems like forever, but they(Aetna)want to make sure you've tried everything possible including asking for help from a medical professional.Not that they know anything. My Dr. had me on one of the stupidist diets ever but in the long run it benefited me. Best of luck on your journey.
   — Linda M.