Finally made a decision....but seems it won't matter

 I have cruised the boards for years and continued to try weightloss on my own.  I am know at a bmi  of 42 and have decides the sleeve was for me.  I in no way came to this decision lightly.  I found a doctor and did the research.  I have dual insurance.  Turns out one has an exclusion and the other doesn't cover the sleeve.  I tried getting an individual policy but I don't qualify due to my bmi.  I would self pay but the concern of medical bills years down the road not being covered is too risky.  Any ideas out there.  I tried obesity law.com also and they said they rarely take exclusion cases as they are difficult at best.  I'd love to hear any suggestions.   I work for a small company and have offered to pay for the obesity rider if they pick it up next open enrollment.  They seem okay with that but open enrollment isn't till NNovember.   

Duodenal Switch

Still could get denied, though, in the "approval process" which is designed to deny people.

You could try to get a part-time job with a company that covers WLS --

Your comment about not being self-pay because of the concern of medical bills years down the road is a bit concerning since even if you get insurance next year to cover it, that insurance can go away any year they decide to pull it ---- and you would lose coverage.

Individual policies don't cover WLS -- people would sign up, pay 1 premium, have their surgery and then cancel -- too risky for the company.

I have heard that Starbucks insures part-time employees and they cover WLS ---- that could be an option for you.

The thing is if it was covered at time of surgery then it can't be considered a pre existing condition when you get new insurance. If its a group policy.   I am looking at the RNYas itis covered under my secondary  at least until hubby retires in November.    It just scares the crud out of me

My insurance didn't pay for the procedure I wanted (the DS) so I self paid for it, and I have not had any issues with things being covered by my insurance since.

I've had diagnostic stuff done, and things may or may not be WLS related, and have regular bloodwork drawn, and have currently 2 insurance companies that have no issues paying for any of it. In fact, I talked at length with them on the phone early on, and they told me they would never decline bloodwork, regardless of the reason it's being drawn.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I can't help but wonder if they just realize that paying a little bit to be proactive, like with regular lab work, saves them many times that amount in the future by the big problems that are avoided. 

 Your insurance doesnt cover the sleeve. You didnt say it didnt cover ALL WL surgeries!    Some insurance companies dont see the long term results of some procedures, so they choose not to cover it. See if they cover the DS. It has the best long term results. All is not lost!

Yes, but.
After having an RNY, my experience was that I would have had a reversal if I had been able to get one covered. They wouldn't cover a reversal.
EVERYONE'S MILEAGE VARIES, and some people love their RNY surgeries. They best thing is to read (for months and months) about people who want revisions of some kind. See what their problems are and why they want revision or reversal. Note any trends.
Think three times and cut once. Get advice from MANY different places, not just your surgeon, not just the people here. Read medical journals, if you can.

Oh, also, get advice from a surgeon who is capable and DOING all four current surgeries. Anyone else can be considered a Ford dealer when you really want a Chevy. You won't be able to get a Chevy from a Ford dealer.

If you self pay, you can have them code it so that it isn't specific to weight loss in many situations. I currently have my family doctor run my labs so that they get covered. Even my pre-op testing for the surgery was covered, just not the actual surgery itself.