Question:
Help! Health Partners needs a concurrent medical problem in order to approve me.

Hello! I'm trying to get approved for surgery from Health Partners insurance, and the only piece to the puzzle I need is that I do not have a concurrent medical problem that will shorten life expectancy...well, besides being very overweight. My blood pressure is 120/84, I have great circulation, I might have sleep apnea so I am getting tested for that, but I am just not sure what else would be considered a concurrent medical problem, and Health Partners does not have a listing to send me. I am an apple shaped body type-does anyone know if that can be used because of the lung and chest issues? I do snore at night, and hope this test will show I do have sleep apnea-my father had surgery to correct his. Help!!!! Also, does anyone have an appeal letter they could email to me? PLEASE let me know! Thank you!    — Shelly T. (posted on April 10, 2000)

April 10, 2000
The following is a list of comorbidities straight from Kaiser Permanente information. Hope it hels for your approval. Obstructive sleep apnea documented with sleep study Degenerative joint disease with abnormal x-rays and a recommendation from an orthopedist for joint replacement Symptomatic ventral hernia Congestive heart failure (CHF) with cardiomyopathy Diabetes mellitus Hypertension Hyperlipidemia Extremity edema with ulceration End stage renal disease with difficulty dialyzing Amenorrhea related to obesity Incontinence related to obesity Low back pain if patient is significantly disabled, has x-ray changes in the spine and an orthopedic recommendation for weight loss and/or back surgery I would also add worsening asthma and other breathing problems.
   — Paula G.

April 10, 2000
A group of doctors from Harvard recently published a report on obesity, co-morbidities and morbidity/mortality. The abstract states: Obese patients are at an increased risk for developing many medical problems, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, hyperuricemia and gout, and osteoarthritis. Certain cancers are also associated with obesity, including colorectal and prostate cancer in men and endometrial, breast, and gallbladder cancer in women [1-6]. <b>Excess body weight is also associated with substantial increases in mortality from all causes, in particular, cardiovascular disease. </b>More than 5% of the national health expenditure in the United States is directed at medical costs associated with obesity [7]. In addition, certain psychologic problems, including binge-eating disorder and depression, are more common among obese persons than they are in the general population [8,9]. Finally, obese individuals may suffer from social stigmatization and discrimination, and severely obese people may experience greater risk of impaired psychosocial and physical functioning, causing a negative impact on their quality of life [10]. <br><br> The full text of the article is available at Medscape (you may need to register). The URL is http://womenshealth.medscape.com/19870.rhtml.
   — Kim H.