Seeking Insurance Approval For Your Weight Loss Surgery
One of the more happy moments in your bodyweight loss surgery trip is when you get the seal of approval from your insurance provider. Most insurance companies realize the long-term effects and cost savings from the weight loss that occurs after patients have weight reduction surgery. For instance, if you have diabetes, your insurance provider will spend thousands covering your treatment and medications.
Unfortunately, obtaining insurance acceptance is not necessarily easy. Acquiring insurance plan for weight loss surgery can be a major obstacle to finally attaining a wholesome body and life. Over the past couple of years, insurance carriers have seen a significant upsurge in the demand for weight reduction surgery procedures. According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), 16,200 weight reduction procedures were performed in 1994. Ten years later, in 2004, around 140,640 surgeries were projected to take place – that’s more than an 800 percent increase! 25,000. Because of this upsurge in methods and cost, some insurance firms are which makes it more difficult for patients to obtain approval.
These insurance firms don’t view their policyholders as long-term responsibilities and figure their customers will switch carriers before they can recoup their investment. So what hurdles shall you have to mix? Most companies require what’s called a letter of medical necessity from your bariatric surgeon and your primary-care physician. Ask your doctor to include information from medical journals regarding the effectiveness of weight reduction surgery, especially information demonstrating the control or eradication of obesity-related health issues.
- Measurements are used: weight, body measurements, percent of body fat versus lean mass
- Our body contain a minimum of 5-10 pounds of clogged up fecal matter and putrefied wastes
- Sleeping Soundly
- Should you have to clarify why you don’t desire to join
- Track your runs with the Android Wear application and view your progress at a look
Many carriers also require a nutritional consult and emotional evaluation. Your surgeon shall take care of referring you for these consultations. Several service providers require complete paperwork of participation in a physician-supervised diet now. Most require the submission of at least six months’ worth of office notes from the supervising physician, including proof of dietary supervision and recorded weigh-ins.
Not all primary-care doctors support weight reduction surgery. Your physician may not be to speed on the latest techniques and safety reports up; he may only know about older procedures that had higher risks. Don’t be discouraged. You may bring information to your physician to try to change his opinion. In case your primary-care physician can’t be persuaded, you might have to find another primary-care doctor who knows the need for your surgery. Request letters and documentation from any medical professionals who treated you for health-related conditions caused by or aggravated by obesity. Make certain all the letters are sent directly to you (as opposed to your doctor’s office), and that means you can determine if they’re supportive of your case.
Be sure to make copies of the letters for your information. Each weight loss surgeon’s practice has its way of handling financial and insurance issues. Someone in the working office should have the ability talk with you about your insurance concerns and questions. Most of these advisors are aware of the intricacies of dealing with specific carriers. Understanding your own policy is important still. Even the most well-informed advisor won’t know all the details of your unique policy without some investigation.