Question:
Help! Insurance is changing!

Hey everyone, I have a question.. I went to see my surgeon for my first op visit and he is sending my letter to the insurance company to get my approval for surgery.. but my insurance is changing as of October 1, 2001... the nurse told me they are scheduling for November 2001. Do I have to redone everything with the new insurance or does my old insurance have to honor and cover my surgery since they approved it when I was still with them?    — rinkadinktx (posted on June 27, 2001)

June 27, 2001
If they can't get your surgery within the time you have that insurance you will have to have all the paper work redone. If your company is changing carriers you won't have an option to stay on w/ the old company and they wont cover you regardless of your auth if the policy expires. Seems this is happening to quite a few people right now.. must be contract renogotiation/open enrollment all over the US it seems. Do you know who the new insurance is? Do you know if the surgery will be a covered benefit w/ them? Let me know if I can help at all. Dawn
   — Dawn R.

June 27, 2001
You may want to ask the surgeon's office if they can fit you in because of these insurance problems. Call your insurance and find out if your acceptance can be transfered to another surgeon, maybe another surgeon can get you in sooner. Or as previously posted you may have to do the papers over again when your new insurance kicks in. However, if you're going to wait, you may want to find out as much as you can about your new insurance company concerning the treatment of morbid obesity through surgery. While more and more insurances are recognizing this as acceptable treatment there are still some that do not.
   — Elizabeth D.

June 27, 2001
Irma, if all else fails you may have the choice of continuing the old policy under COBRA, especially if the new policy has any limitation or exclusion with respect to any pre-existing condition. It is possible that, even though you have creditable coverage, pre-ex may still apply. Just a thought, something to look into. All the best.
   — dandjon