Question:
I am planning a revision for my orginal RNY..due to poor weight loss and high blood

pressure. My insurance company is UNited Health care choice plus. My company had added an exclsuiion for any surgical or non surgical treatment of obesity. I went to the human resources dept and thery said they would take care of it to where there would be an exception by my name..should there be a problem?? also I would like to hear from other long term post op of the rny who have had a revision..what is the pain like? recovery time? thanks    — tylerswife (posted on January 16, 2005)

January 16, 2005
The following Yahoo groups will be good sources of answers to your questions. Best of luck. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/WLSrevisionsupport http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OSSG-Revision
   — Kay B.

January 16, 2005
You want the straight truth? If your company has excluded WLS or revisions from their group plan with UHC, it will be a cold day in the place that the devil resides in before you get the surgery approved. My husband's plan did NOT Exclude the surgery, and it took him 147 phone calls to UHC to get my surgery approved...and NOW we found out UHC has switched me to a different group, so I am wondering, now that I have had the surgery, if they will pay for it, or will they pull a lame tactic like saying, "it was not approved", when it was before they switched me around...yet again. If you company excludes this surgery, UHC absolutely will not pay for it. My best advice would be to get EVERYTHING IN WRITING, from your HR department, so that when it comes time for your revision, you have DOCUMENTED PROOOF, that your ompany has agreed to pay UHC the extra money for UHC to allow the surgery to go forth
   — Melanie W.

January 16, 2005
Rebecca, Melanie is right - the only way UHC can pay for this insurance is that you were or are switched to another plan. So it might be true that HR can take care of as the new year has started & it might be the right time to change the previous plan. UHC - has many sub-policies, you company has to pick the right one - an experienced benefits person can, but a non-experienced benefit person might not think to ask about the "exclusions." Good Luck!
   — Anna M.

January 17, 2005
United Health is one of the biggest rip pff insurance companies out in the market today so good luck getting anything approved and then paid for by them. Definately get everything in writing. As far as the RNY, I don't know if it can now be done but I woudl check into getting the Biliopancreatic Diversion with or without the Duodenal Switch, INSTEAD of any more RNY revisions. Too many people are not told up front about these other bariatric surgery options and their sucess is so much better as far as losing, keeping off the weight and the quality of life and eating you experience after surgery. I had the Diversion and would never recommend the RNY to anybody. Too low a percentage of success losing and keeping off. Please do yourself a favor and check into these other ops first.
   — Donald M.