[Kemie20]

So I have been on a supervised diet for 4 months now due to requirement of insurance company but I am worried if I don't lose any weight my insurance company won't approve my surgery!! I have only lost about 4lbs and I am convinced it's due to medications I am on (Abilify and Zoloft) I know in my insurance paperwork it says only a supervised diet and nothing about weight loss but can they deny me if i don't lose anything??! HELP!! Any insight or kind words are appreciated.

[clancythecamper]

Honestly, I didn't lose any in my 6mo preop diet and didn't have a problem with the ins. They are looking for effort and documentation on the doctors part. My surgeon figured if I could lose weight I wouldn't be coming to him and didnt require any loss preop. Good luck ~ worrying is a useless emotion but I understand your concern ~ can't trust those insurance companies!

[Kenyar]

like clancy said, i think its just for documentation purpose. i mean if you lost it supervised i would think THAT would be all the more reason for them to deny it, right?? i could be wrong. anyhow, keep us posted.

[MaggieEley]

I think it depends on the insurance company. I have Blue Cross, and they told me I had to lose 5% of my weight before they would approve the surgery. Of course, I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't actually lost the weight. It's true that the Abilify can cause problems with weight loss(/gain). Have you spoken with your MD about an alternative to that med?

Blessings,

Maggie

[DocSanae]

The 6 month requirement is about commitment, more than anything else, when it comes to insurance.
It's the surgeons who'd like you to lose some if you can, so the surgery will be easier.

[MsVickie]

Like they have all said before me its up to your company you have and documentation. Now when it comes to your surgeon he or she may require you to lose some to make it easier to have it done and shrink your liver.

[Queenofthenile]

I agree with Doc. I think the weight loss is more important to the surgeon than the insurance. My surgeon refused to do my surgery because I was 4lbs short of the 10% required. She extended by time to lose weight before actually doing the surgery. I ended up cancelling and now I am going to have surgery August 5th. She said it was for my safety as well as hers. I would talk to your surgeon to see what he/she requires.

[kitcatcopycat]

I would call your insurance company and talk to the surgeon’s office. My insurance company asked for 5 years of documents supervised diets. They recommended me losing 10% so that my liver would be less fatty but it was not required. I ended up surprising myself and lost 21 lbs (this was over a four month period). The surgeon ended up starting me out on my protein shakes before the surgery. I replaced one to two meals with them and that did it. My surgeon also did not require a liquid diet like most do. All surgeons/insurance companies are so different. I always asked all the questions even if I thought I knew the answer. Insurance companies will be very honest with you over the phone. Or at least that is what I found. In my case their recommended doctor refused to do the surgery without me signing a consent to take blood. When I requested a second opinion they readily gave it and I ended up with a better surgeon and they still paid for the entire wls!