Question:
A woman at my place of employment recently underwent WLS...

does that mean I stand a good chance of having my surgery approved? She, of course, has the same insurance as I do. I understand that she went through a psych evaluation. What does that do? I mean, I'm overweight, and have health problems, what's the psych eval for? Just wondering about these questions...any response is appreciated.    — Keri A. (posted on July 28, 2000)

July 28, 2000
Hi Keri: What state do you live in? I also had BCBS insurance and had my surgery in April, 2000. I had to do the psych eval and it is just to make sure that you are of sane mind enough to follow doctor's orders afterwards and not hurt yourself or sabatage the results. Also, to make sure you understand the major changes this surgery involves. Do not fret about it - its basically a lot of questions that you answer. How overweight are you? I was required to be at least 100 pounds overweight, to have tried other diets unsucessfully, and for the surgeon and my doctor to say that it was "medically necessary" for me to have the operation. If that sounds like you, you'll probably qualify. Just get your policy out and see what it says. Mine was specific about weight loss surgery and how many it would pay for in a lifetime, etc. Best wishes.
   — Cindy H.