Recent Posts

Member Services
on 8/15/13 2:15 am - Irvine, CA
Topic: RE: DePaul WL Ctr

Give them a call and call daily until they give you a date.  See if your insurance company can help speed the process and post this question on the State forum for DePaul WL Ctr.

Good luck

Member Services
on 8/15/13 2:13 am - Irvine, CA
Topic: RE: BCBS of Mass approval

Give your insurance a call and find out the time frame. Also have your HR person help you.  If you have not done so post this question on the MA Forum and reach out to those that live in your area.

Good luck

Member Services
on 8/15/13 2:11 am - Irvine, CA
Topic: RE: Medi-Cal in CA?

Give the number a call on the back of your card and find out if they pay for WLS or not....

ROSE S.
on 8/13/13 2:20 pm - Yuba City, CA
Topic: RE: Aetna ughhhhh HELP!!!
On July 23, 2013 at 3:55 PM Pacific Time, Jen1014 wrote:
Hi all I am so frustrated with the pre-certification department for Aetna through my companies insurance. I am a nurse,so I get the needing everything in order quite honestly! I have done all my question asking to the benefit dept etc and have been advised from them to get my bypass done this year d/t all out of pocket and deductibles being met already ,so I have been going like mad fire to get everything in order. Surgeon,sleep study, letters of recommendation from all my current Dr.'s etc! You name it I got it and if I don't I can get it in 24 hours or less, this is exciting of course. You say then what's the problem? Well the surgeon asks about this medically supervised diet and I'm like a what so I call Aetna to confirm and they can't decide out of 4 calls what the rule is in regards to this criteria?? I ask for a copy of these criteria's and well you know it's against company policy so she then states I can go on Aetna's website and pull up the clinical bulletin and it's all there and basically says you can do the 6 month supervised or the 3 month Multi disciplinary surgical preparatory regimen. My questions after this long winded story are #1 has anyone been through this with Aetna and #2 is the surgeon/nutritionist/psychiatrist combo enough for the 3 months??? Thanks all for reading my long winded story.
Jen

Hi Jen11014,

 

I had my RNy through AETNA.  I had to do the 6 month medically supervised diet, and all other requirements. The surgeon, nutritionist x1, and psych x1. was what I had to do over 6months.  I would phone and inquire about the 3 month protocol.

Wishing you the best,

Rose RN

PS. see you on the other side!

mrseveland
on 8/13/13 1:42 pm
Topic: RE: Aetna ughhhhh HELP!!!

I have Aetna (HMO not PPO) and it's been a 14 month journey.  Orientation, 6 months of weekly nutrition classes with weigh-ins, food and exercise diaries and a mandatory 10% body weight loss requirement, back to PCP for another referral for the pre-bari program, waited 3 mos for approval, then 2 months of weekly pre-bariatric education program with weigh-ins and diaries again, psych evaluation, back to my PCP for a surgical referral, then wait for approval and appointment to consult w/ the surgeon. That's where I am now.  The surgeon will tell me what pre-surgery tests he wants, wait for approvals, then VSG surgery hopefully in September/October (month 16). BMI started at 52 and now I'm at 43 and have to maintain or I'm cut from the program.

But, hey, at least they cover it!!! 

MrsEveland

Highest weight: 304     Surgery weight: 242     Goal weight: 140

    

    
Tiffany82583
on 8/13/13 1:34 pm - CA
Topic: Medi-Cal in CA?

Has anyone been approved for weightless surgery with Medi-Cal? 

jinxxy5
on 8/13/13 7:43 am - GA
VSG on 10/02/13
Topic: RE: Tips for newbies who are worried about qualifying for insurance (xpost)

I found a missing weight from 2011 where my bmi was 40.6! They require that your morbid obesity must have persisted for the last 24 months. Basically, you need to have given up losing weight over the last 2 years. I think I'm good to go! Just had to rack my brain to figure out which doctors I saw that year.

VSG on 06/12/13
Topic: RE: Aetna documented weights issue
I just had another thought - the clinical bulletin is, at least in UHC's case, very different than your plan document. UHC had issued a clinical bulletin - available on the web - that said in general, WLS was reserved for those with BMI of 40 and no comorbids, or BMI of 35 with comorbids. It also said that the individual contract under which an insured is covered trumped their clinical bulletin.

My individual contract required a BMI of 40 with no mention of comorbidities, period. Plus, it required a 5 year history of morbid obesity. And, that is what "won" when it came to deciding my preauthorization approval.

Hopefully this illustrates the importance of getting your contract vs a clinical bulletin. MAKE SURE this comes from your employer/the organization that you pay for your healthcare.

Laurie

   

Sleeved 6/12/13 - 100 pounds lost to get to goal!

Most Active
×