I am a 28yr. old mother of two who drives a semi truck for a living. I also weigh roughly 400lbs. I have tried so many diets over the past 16yrs it is unreal. None of them I was able to lose the weight or keep it off once I lost it. I just feel that there should be some one who knows something or someone who could help me. Please I know that the weight is killing me sometimes I cant sleep for having problems breathing. I cant exercise like I should for the weight. My back and hips hurt all the time my ankles buckle on me and I fall down. I just feel so bad all the time.If there is anything you can do give information or other It would be greatly appreciated. Thanx Sue Wilson

I had it done on 10/12/06 and insurance covered it. I suppose you could look for financing and pay for it your self, but you're looking at 55k.

Hi Sue, my name is Diana, I'm 24yrs old and weigh 346lbs. I have the same problem as you! I wish that the government would help a little more with this problem!! Unfortunatly if you don't have insurance to pay for the surgery the only other way to get one is to pay for it yourself. BRIAN43119 says it's over 55k, I've seen Dr. Ponce here in Dalton, GA and it's about 10,000 dollars. Still too much for me, but not as much as what Brian says. So you might want to look into that.
Diana

my hospital bill for the surgery, the after care, anesthetic, and everything else came to 55k. 10k may be his fee for surgery, but you also have to remember you need to pay the facility, the anesthesiologist, nurses and everyone else.

I had surgery in July 2003. I was 22 years old. My insurance said I was too young and not heavy enough. They wanted my BMI to be 45 and mine was pretty sad when your insurance says you're not obese enough. So, I took out a loan for $35,000. It was a struggle, because I was a full time college student with little to no income. I would do it again.

I'm a self-pay in Utah. My total surgery was $18,000 (hospital, surgeon, anesthesiologist). I took out a second on my home. It wasn't easy, but it was for my life. Not an option for everyone, but for some who have seen their equity grow due to the wild housing markets, it may work.

I live in Oklahoma and medicaid will cover wls. I work and have insurance that excludes wls and I am delving into the options available to me. I am strongly considering going out of the country to have my sugery. The cost of having surgery in the US is prohibitive to some one who has to self pay. There are a lot of resources available to research other ways to fianance wls. obesityhelp.com is a very useful place to start looking.

Hi Sue, A lot depends on your insurance and where you live. If you live where there is Medicaid/Medical, there are times when the surgery is covered. If your insurance is limiting, there is help for those who need the surgery. Check on line for different forms of CareCredit. Sometimes, these companies offer low/no interest medical loans. I hope that this helps. Good luck to you on your endeavor. I guess that I was one of the lucky ones that had insurance that would rather put out the initial payment than keep trying to fix the problems that are associated with obesity. Again, good luck to you!!

Hello all, It is sad, that in this rich country with all it's high-tech medical advances, there are still many of us who are denied medical insurance and the help that we so desperately need, especially those of us who are obese.
Winde_1 is considering leaving the country to have surgery because it's more affordable...but is it as safe? Something must be done...can't the government see that we have a crisis in this country with obesity and that millions of us are crying out for help? I have been obese since I was 8 yrs old, it's been a struggle, losing some and gaining more...this has been a lifetime career for me it seems. Instead of putting us on display, why can't our country help those of us who are seriously in need?

Actually, going abroad for surgery can be a safe and cost-efficient alternative for those of us without medical insurance. I had my surgery (LAP RNY--gastric bypass) done in Mexicali, Mexico by a highly skilled and experienced surgeon in December 06. The total cost was $12,500 and the medical care and the hospital facilities were top-notch.

5 and a half months later, I'm 75 lbs. lighter
(only have 25 more lbs. to loose to reach my personal goal weight of 125 lbs)and much healthier and happier

I too do not understand why insurance does not cover this surgery. My son is 28 years old, has worked hard all of his life and he applied for surgery with his insurance. He was denied because they don't cover it. He is 5'11" tall and weighs about 400. He has tried all the diets and exercises, with no success. He had chest pain last fall and we found out he already has an enlarged heart. He has it all, from high blood pressure to the emotional ramifications of obesity. He cries and tells me he does not want to end up like his aunt, my sister, who died at the age of 52 from morbid obesity. We tried sending all of his records from ER and letters from me and his physician to the insurance company and they STILL denied it. My biggest fear is that I will end up having to bury my son and I can't bear the thought. Borrowing the money is not an option. I've had cancer twice and his father is battling renal cell carcinoma right now. What does a person have to do?

Natalie did you go to Dr Aceves? I had the Lapband done by him...he is so awesome!!! I totally agree if you cannot get the surgery done in the states to check out going to Mexico, they have very highly qualified surgeons and facilities there, Almater Hospital is very clean and up to date with their equipment. Check out www.mexicolapband.com (they have info on RNY as well).
Kelli

Yes, I had RNY with Dr. Acevec

I think that insurance companies sometimes dont want to pay for the surgery because ultimately they are in business to make money not give it out. they recognize that alot (not all)of people usually have other medical or psychological issues (that require more payments from insurance)after the surgery. So they figure that the total cost will be more than say what a person is expending before the surgery. Let's face it, some people will die a premature death if they dont have the surgery or if they dont take drastic measures to reduce the weight. Nonehtheless I do know that a person must explore all options to get financing if they want to have the surgery, this includes Medicaid, Medicare, out of pocket pay for insurance or surgery, loans, or even check with various charitable organizations--get creative, bbut recognize that the surgery is only a tool as many have said. this can not be emphasized enough. If you dont deal with underlying issues, the weight will come back or else you will be prone to other medical complications.

I had an MGB done by Dr Rutledge in January of this year. Self Pay was $17,000.. which is still alot of money but not totally unreasonable. This included surgeons fee, hosptial etc.. (one night stay). The website is clos.net if you are interested.

Hi I have been working on getting wls for the last five years I am disabled and on medicare my weight is 500 lbs and Medicare will cover it only if it is medical nessary You have to go to a center of excellnet hospital. I found a web site that can help you find doctors and hosptals and so on and so on. On Medicare you have to have an 18 month documnted supervised diet plan and a phy eval. I have done all that. I just got my last month plan done on monday June 4. my primare care is doing all my paper work I seen the heart doctor and the lung doctor and got my ok to have surgery just waiting for my date. It has been long road I have to travel 130 miles one way to my primary care because when I started this I did'nt want to stop going to the same doctor afraded that I would of had to start the prosses all over. The web site that I have gotten a lot of help from was Obesity Help .Com

I work for the State of Oklahoma & my insurance doesn't cover WLS either. I now of 2 people that have had it done & it is amazing how much weight they have lost. Both of them had to self pay for the surgery because our insurance refuses to cover it. Don't the insurance companies understand that if they would cover this surgery it would be less expensive on them in the long run.

I too have had my doctors send letters recomending me for surgery. One of the doctors is my employer (who pays for the insurance)and still they denied the surgery. I have talked with the surgeon in my area who does the procedure and he will not even see you if your insurance wont cover the procedure.
Lost in NE

Unfortunately, if you do not have medical insurance that will pay for the surgery, you have to find a way to pay for it yourself, whether that be through a loan, saving until you can afford it or some kind of financing. It is not easy, but it can be done if you want it badly enough. I'm still paying for my surgery, but I have zero regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat. Hang in there!

I decided to do my LapBand in Monterrey, MX with Dr. Roberto Rumbaut. I paid $10,600 total... excluding air fare. I flew there from Houston because he is an excellent Doc and even has a LapBand himself. That was Nov 2nd. Now it is June and I have lost 90 LBS so far.... I am loving life... It was worth every penny...

Does any one have any tips for getting help in Kansas. My insurance denied me coverage and has a rider that says you can not appeal for wls. I am 35 and 278lbs. I have multiple health issues and I see my life ending soon if I don't find a way to lose weight. I am now experiencing severe pain when I stand for more than two minutes or walk across from the room. I can't afford self pay and I don't know where to go for options.

Alot of people use capital one on obesityhelp.com since the interest rate is real low. I paid 5,200 for my VSG in Caracas, whole thing ran me 8k

self pay, seek financing, there are now credi companies for surgery where you can apply for a health care "credit card", you could set up an account with your surgeons office and add as much as you can into it every month, until you reach the desired amount for surgery. It sounds like it would take forever but if you want it bad enough it can happen. I know many who have taken on a second full time job, just to be able to save the full amount for surgery. I also know many who have quit their jobs and gone with other companies whose insurance does pay for WLS. They have now had surgery. Im working two full time jobs right now for plastics. It isnt easy by any means but hopefully, next summer I can have my body lift. Some people borrow from their 401k retirement, remortgage or refinance their homes. Best wishes.

I live in Oklahoma too. My insurance company has denied me as well. My BMI is 54. I'm 44 years old, and I feel 104. I can't afford the self pay nor is my credit what it should be to qualify for the credit companies they referred me to. Please, if any of you in Oklahoma find out how to do it, please let me know.

I have no insurance. Couldn't get it because I was over the weight limit. I talked to my husband and he said if I could get a loan on my own, he would help me pay for it. So I did just that. Called up Bank of America and they loaned me the money. I had already researched about having the surgery in Mexico and then here in Texas. I opted for having it done in my own town because I was having the lap band and would need adjustments every so often. I am so glad I did....Everything went so smooth. Went into hospital at 5 in the morning and walked out at noon.....with my lap band installed. So far I have lost 41 pounds and am not sorry for doing it. I feel so much better and have more energy. I got a lot of help from Obesity.com. Good luck to all who want to have WLS surgery.