I thought I'd chime in since I have UHC. I had my surgery at Tufts in Boston and the person there who handles the insurance said UHC is one of the more difficult and BC/BS is one of the best. I don't think she is aware that UHC often is just the administrator and they only administer what the employer wants. My summary description said "weight loss surgery is not covered unless there is a diagnosis of morbid obesity". I called UHC and they insisted that all that was required was a letter from the doctor listing my height, weight, BMI and that they believed RNY (of lap-band) would be good for me. Tufts didn't believe me. I hadn't made a decision on what surgery to get so Tufts submitted it as lap-band. It was approved almost instantly. I decided to do RNY and they send in a new letter and when I hadn't heard after a week I called and it was approved within 3 days. With UHC it's all about the plan. I am under COBRA now, but I worked for years for a large company that is a total grind to work for (I gained ALL my excess weight while there) so they provide great benefits.
The administrator must have had experience with other UHC plans in Boston that are not as generous. Tufts was pretty sure I would need 6 months of supervised diet and maybe even 5 years of weight to prove it was an ongoing issue. NOTHING was needed but what I listed above. UHC couldn't care less if I gained or lost weight before the surgery.
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Surgery Date: 6/9/08
299 / 280 / 197 / ?
High / Pre-op / Current / Goal
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