[ready2bethin]

I have BCBS of North Carolina, and I was approved in less than 24 hours. God knew I was on a short time line and blessed me with a quick approval.

[Butterfly312]

I have Florida Medicaid. First you have to have a referral from your PCP, then 6 visits to your primary while on a weightless plan. You have to see a dietician and have an all clear from a cardiologist, pulmonary doctor, and a psychiatrist/psychologist. I also have to lose 35 lbs during those 6 mos. Once that's done, final approval is sent to Medicaid and I get my date for surgery. I'm looking at the middle of March 2012...God willing.

[Nell]

I have Tricare Prime, I found out within a week after getting the referral from my PCP that I had been approved. It did take 8 months after that to have my surgery, some may think that's a long time but in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't.

[Butterfly312]

That's true Nell, it does seem like forever, but before you know it the surgery date finally arrives. I'm so glad October is almost over, next month is thanksgiving, then christmas. Thanks to the holidays this year will be over soon, then I'll have my surgery. So time does really fly by.

[Kicknfat2curb]

I have Medicare and Tricare South.

Has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. I had the Lap Band on 2/2008. Only lost 16lbs total. So now getting a revision to RNY once approved. I have to meet both requirements from both insurance because Medicare sometimes does not pay, or they do then want their money back.

So I have to complete a 3/6 month monitored weight loss diet with nutritionist. Go see the Psych doc AGAIN..Already went that route for my first surgery. Plus with medicare lose 20lbs.

All of this in my opinion is ridiculous. 1# I have been on a monitored weight loss program with the lap band for 3YRS. 2# I saw the quack already and was cleared for my first surgery. 3# if I only lost 16lbs (and that was on the liquid/mushy phase of post op) how the heck am I gonna do that now.. I have faith and will do my darnedest to lose it.
I am hoping Tricare pre-auth the revision because then I wont have to loose the 20lb that Medicare requires. Ill just go to the Psych doc and send in my 3yrs of paper work for my lap- band visits, and nut visits.

So that's my story in a nut shell. I am still waiting on my aproval and I am hoping I can have my surgery in Late Nov or Dec sometime.

[Sorcha_Griannon]

I have Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. The process has been very very smooth for me. I asked my physician about gastric bypass, and was informed that it could be about 6 months before I receive notification for my orientation class. Less than 1 month later, I was in orientation. Two weeks later, I was starting my 12 week classes (1 time per week, 1.5-2 hrs each). According to the teacher, they were streamlining the process and making it work faster so people would not need to wait so long.
Well, next week is my graduation date from the classes. I will still have a psych appointment, and an appointment with the surgeon to set up a surgery date. Because the whole process is internalized, it run so smooth. We started lab testing week 2, had any issues with our health addressed by week three, and I have a binder of really useful information that I can refer to for many questions.
I've been lucky with my husband's insurance in that I have had NO cost associated with the classes or, eventually, with the surgery. My only cost is my gas to get there (I live in a high desert, and have to travel about 1 hr down a mountain pass to get to class. Going down doesn't eat gas, but going up sure does) and for my Ergocalciferol 50000iu ($5) since my vitamin D levels were in the toilet, and an adjustment to my Levothroid (I was sure I was Hypothyroid, and had my pcp order a test back before asking about GP. Good thing I did, since my thyroid is pretty much non-functional).
I still need to go to 1 support group, and get a FOBT (fecal occult blood test) because I want the gastric band and it's required for any banding patient before surgery. I just had my pap done, and since I mentioned I did have an aunt (maternal side) that had breast cancer at what I believed was 30 (nope, confirmed w/ another aunt, and it was more like 17), she went ahead and ordered a mammogram for me, which is also next Wednesday along with my last class.
Apparently, there is a great support system for aftercare with Kaiser as well from what we have been told. At this point though, we will have surgery at another hospital locally. This is because the new hospital being built at the site of the old hospital (Kaiser in Fontana) will not be ready in time for our surgeries. Once that happens, the process should be even smoother.