Gastric Bypass Information
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My Year-Long Struggle to Convince My Health Insurance to Pay for Gastric
Bypass Surgery
The following article was written by a reader who wanted to share her
experiences in getting her health insurance policy to cover weight loss
surgery. For privacy reasons, her name is not included.
For tips on dealing with health insurance companies, see "The
Cost of Gastric Bypass Surgery."
"It can be hard to get your health insurance company to see from
your point of view..."
With so many people who suffer from obesity dying every day, it is
hard to see why a lot of health insurance companies reject care plans
that include gastric bypass surgery. The health problems that arise
from being overweight must cost them much more than the surgery itself,
so it is difficult to see why some companies choose not to pay for it.
In my case, I had a long fight ahead of me if I wanted to take advantage
of my insurance policy and get surgery as well.
When I visited my doctor for the first real time after completing college,
I found that I had a host if issues that came from my being overweight.
I had heart and breathing problems as well as issues with my bones and
joints. I had to get referred to various specialists who would set me
on treatment plans in order to deal with the pain and dangers of these
health problems.
I was seeing a cardiologist, an orthopedic specialist and my primary
care physician. I even had to go see a rheumatologist in order to deal
with the arthritis that was developing in my joints. My schedule filled
up quickly and I was put on all kinds of different medications.
When my doctor first told me about gastric bypass surgery, I was very
excited. I had no luck with diets or other plans and medications that
all promised to help me lose weight. I didn't see the light at the end
of the tunnel until my doctor told me about this surgery.
We submitted the paperwork to my insurance company. We were very optimistic
about the things that could come of this surgery. I did not get a response
right away, but when I did I was very disappointed. It seemed that my
insurance had no problem paying for all of the specialists that I needed,
but they refused to pay for the elective surgery that I thought I needed.
It took me a year to convince the company that this would really save
both of us money. I wrote appeals letters and even had an interview
with some of the higher up members of the company. I had to show them
all of my records that indicated the numerous medical problems that
I had and were related to being overweight.
It got to be quite annoying, but I didn't give up. I continued to write
them weekly and call them almost daily until I had finally proved my
point. At the end of the battle, the insurance company finally approved
the surgery. I was ecstatic in the fact that I would finally get the
chance that I thought would help me lose weight.
It can be hard to get your health insurance company to see from your
point of view. They do not want to spend money that they don't need
to, so they are probably always on the lookout for things that could
be considered unneeded or elective. It is important that you not give
up until you get the health care that you feel that you need.
To read first-person accounts from people who have experienced
gastric bypass surgery, click
here.
Note: The information given here should
not be taken as medical advice. Be sure to talk to your doctor
about any concerns you may have about gastric bypass surgery.
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