How do you know if your insurance will cover it?
Insurance companies have fought providing coverage for bariatric surgery for a long time. On many policies, weight management options were not included as it was felt that the first and only option should be a nutrition and wellness approach. Things began to change with the new designation of obesity as a disease, but it hasn’t yet been moved into the category of chronic disease that would lead to it being covered automatically by insurance. Heart disease and diabetes are both considered chronic diseases. There are many reasons why bariatric surgery remains so controversial in the insurance world, most of it comes from a misconception that all weight gain is due to the unwillingness of the person to live a healthy lifestyle. Many people become morbidly obese as a result of accident, injury or as a complication of medication. If you want to know if your insurance covers the surgery, you have to review your policy carefully or call and ask a representative. Although the Affordable Care Act promised to make bariatric surgery a covered procedure in 2010; the 2013 version has seen the federal act accommodating the states more and it will depend on where you live if it is a provided and subsidized service. This can change as the Affordable Care Act is set to review its definitions of necessary health procedures every few years. Obesity may still get the designation of a chronic disease which would guarantee coverage under the act.
Kelley Brown says
This is an important discussion for everyone, but especially for we black women because of so many health risks we face like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I am the owner of a business (Lindstrom Obesity Advocacy) which has helped people for over 17 years get insurance to cover medical and surgical treatment and so I invite anyone confused about their insurance to visit our website or call me at 1-877-99-APPEAL (877-992-7732) because we can help!