I did have major problems with SummaCare. In fact, I had so much trouble with them that I literally blasted
them here on obesityhelp.com. Since my
first post, some things are starting to change…
I was denied care three times, but here in Ohio, we have a
patient HMO dispute law and appeal process called House Bill 4. I was approved through this law and thank
GOD for it. I did meet with SummaCare’s
CEO and Administrator Marty Hauser on December 1, 2000. He was very professional and it looks like
SummaCare is going to start approving this surgery when it is medically
necessary. Prior to me and House Bill
4, they were in the habit of denying this surgery and they did not have a
specific exclusion.
If you are in Ohio and you have an insurer that has turned
you down (and there is no exclusion specifically for gastric bypass surgery),
then you have Ohio Rights!!! House Bill
4 passed in May of 1999 and it was made law and enforced starting in May of
2000.
In short, House Bill 4 states that if a client has a
medically necessary dispute with their HMO, the HMO must select one of the 6
approved Independent Review Organizations and submit the claim to them.
In addition, the HMO must pay the IRO to do the review,
which costs about $800.
Thank God I was the first one to exercise their House Bill 4
Rights and my MGB was APPROVED.
I self-paid and now the HMO SummaCare had to reimburse
me!!!!
I had the MGB with the Wonderful Dr. Rutledge (in Durham,
NC) on 10-25-00 (http://www.clos.net)
To learn more about your House Bill 4 Rights, please go to
this web site: http://www.ins.state.oh.us
You will need Acrobat Reader to check it out.