I'm looking for an insurance company that covers Gastric Bypass Surgery. Anyone know of one?

Question

I went to a Seminar and planned to pay by cash, little to my knowledge, the surgery is 23k. Which is way out of my budget.

Answer 1

go to obesityhelp.com, where all the insurances are listed.

I had gastric bypass surgery in April 2005. I started out at 268, now I’m 180 and holding. These links will help you in many ways to make a decision if this is for you or not. I vote yes, because it made such a difference in my life. I was taking 8 pills a day, and after my surgery, I lost my diabetes. The way they do the surgery, takes your diabetes away. I no longer have to take glucophage, and I no longer have high Cholesterol or high blood pressure. I’m down to 2 pills a day. I went from a size 26-28 to a 16-18.
http://obesityhelp.com/member/rjpoole/
Most people struggle with paying for the surgery. Go to this site, it is a great support system for you, because it’s only people who have had gastric bypass or lap band. Every insurance program has been rated, and you’ll get tips on how to deal with your insurance company, as well as, surgery tips, food tips, and just support. This site is free! I’d have to rate it a #1 site if you want to learn about the surgery and how to deal with the insurance companies and get support from other people in the same boat as you.
This is the #1 site for gastric bypass and it’s free! Extremely helpful! http://www.obesityhelp.com/
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ObesityHelp
This explains about the surgery:
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gastric.htm
I really researched my surgeon, and I made a wise choice. Always get a surgeon that has done at least 200 of these surgeries. Get someone with a lot of experience, and you will do well.
Here’s all about my surgeon…
http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+profile+James+Pilkington+djp.html
http://www.cmch.org/profile-pilkington.html
You just can’t find a better surgeon than him! He’s probably done at least 500 of the surgeries, so far. I did so well after my surgery, I thank him every time I see him.
I made it to 175! It's been almost 2 years since my surgery. I haven't had any complications at all with my surgery! My health has been very good, and I've lost the weight nice and slow, so my body doesn't look that much out of shape. I've been faithfully taking my vitamins, and my blood work came back excellent! I still think very highly of Dr. Pilkington, and would recommend to anyone thinking of this surgery, to have Dr. Pilkington as his or her surgeon. I'm walking proof, that he is an excellent doctor. I just spoke to another patient of his who told me she had a very good experience with him, and she is in excellent health, as well. He is a very caring doctor. I live in Florida in the winter. I see alot of folks down there because of my job, and I see people from all over the USA and overseas. Since my surgery, I've talked to lots of others that have had the surgery in Florida, and some of them didn't do as well, and I tend to think it's because their doctors weren’t as competent as mine. I feel that part of how you do, is because of your general health and attitude. The other major part is how good your doctor is.
Here’s a website that tells what to look for in a surgeon;
http://www.texasbariatricspecialists.com/gastric-bypass-surgery.html
http://www.docshop.com/education/bariatrics/choose/
Gastric Bypass diet: (after surgery)
http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs22.htm
There is a very good web site by a guy named Basil White. He’s a govt. worker and a comedian. He walks you through everything. Very interesting. He had the surgery and did well. If you want an idea how people handle the surgery, read here!
http://www.basilwhite.com/gastric/
Here’s Basil!
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=basil+white&hl=en

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass/HQ01465
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass-diet/WT00007
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass-surgery/AN01378
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/46/2731_1654.htm
http://www.lapband.com/lapband/aboutlapband.do
A must read if you have questions:
http://www.liteandhope.com/livechat_archive1003.html
http://www.bariatricedge.com/dtcf/pages/finding_support.htm?WT_srch=1


Check out this link, this lady put her heart and soul into it, with lots of great info:
http://www.gastricbypassfamily.com/index.htm
Vitamins I take… you have to be very faithful about taking them after surgery, because you can become very sick if you don’t. There were recommended by my surgeon and nutritionist.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301120&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod403359
http://www.webmd.com/hw/weight_control/hw252819.asp
Some other helpful links…
http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Obesity/Gastric_Bypass_Surgery/
http://www.stapleclub.com/general_info.htm
http://www.locateadoc.com/articles.cfm/1454/1337
http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2&org_id=28&morg_id=0&sec_id=0&gsec_id=35507&item_id=35508
http://www.connectionwls.com/
http://www.mygastricbypass.com/
http://www.gwdocs.com/health/eHA-eHA_Content_C-Generic_Content_Page_Template_1131123706877.html
Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery is considered the safest and most effective type of bariatric surgery. But as with any major surgery, the procedure does carry some risks.
http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2&org_id=28&morg_id=0&sec_id=0&gsec_id=35507&item_id=35508
http://www.dhmc.org/webpage.cfm?site_id=2&org_id=28&morg_id=0&sec_id=0&gsec_id=35507&item_id=35514
Good luck with your surgery and new life!

Answer 2

Holey Moley...

Sorry, I don't know of an insurance that will help.. Don't give up......I would call a MD's office that provides this type of surgery and ask them from their expereince what insurance companies will pay.

I do know that I have been working with a few clients that have been approved both with their MD and the insurance company and they make them go through 6 months of therapy and they even have to quit smoking (if they smoke) IT seems that they insurance companies are making it more difficult for you but its still not impossible.. Knowlege is power so find out as much as you can.

My aunt had this surgery and we are all so glad she did.

Answer 3

I find it very difficult to believe that you will be able to get health insurance when you have a pre-existing condition of morbid obesity, especially if you're planning on bypass surgery. If you go online and do a search on health insurance, you'll get hundreds of hits. Either call some of the companies or see what the questions are on their applications.

Answer 4

Weight loss surgery-like gastric bypass surgery have become very common and very safe now. My cousin got her Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in India. She has lost more than 65 lbs in 5 months and is very happy with the results. The price for obesity surgery is very less in India. My cousin just paid 25% of the cost she was quoted in America. She got her surgery from a company called Forerunners Healthcare.

Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines. I have read a lot of their patient stories also. They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as bariatric surgery and weight loss surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that your Obesity surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.

http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Have you considered asking your doctor to write to your insurance company (if you have one) to prove it's for medical purposes instead of "cosmetic?"

Another way to possibly beat the system would be to enroll yourself in a private insurance company and then go from there with the doctor's note, etc. If it's a medical necessity, it should be covered.

Good luck. I wish I could have given you a bit more information.

Answer 6

in case you're healthful count quantity your advantages. My mom had gastric bypass in 2003 besides and now has epilepsy..weighs 80 pounds..is loosing her hair and has to have blood transfusions as quickly as a week. they do no longer supply her long to stay all because of this surgical treatment. She become healthful previous to having this performed. All I ought to declare to this is in case you making plans on going below the knife to do "fix artwork" do no longer push your success. God Bless!

Answer 7

Some companies do if it is shown that the surgery is needed for health reasons. You may want to try a website that compares multiple companies at once to get you the best price/coverage. I am paying less than ½ after I did.

Go to: http://www.insureme.com/landing.aspx?Refby=616163&Type=health

Take care,
Casey

Answer 8

Please don't have the surgery. It is very dangerous. Some die right after the surgery or a couple years after the surgery because the body don't get what it needs to survive. Don't do it. Diet the right way and excercise, start out slow, you can do it. I know of one that died and was coma tosed after the procedure and with the grace of god, he lived. I know of another that did die. Don't do the surgery!

Answer 9

It's too late for that. Insurance will not pay for a pre-existing condition, so you would have had to have the insurance started a long time ago.

Answer 10

Try NJ {New Jersey} Health Insurance.