Well, from your insurance's point of view, why should they pay for a consult if you have to do the 6-month supervised diet first anyway, and they'd just have to pay for a SECOND consult again before surgery? (Not agreeing with it, just guessing at their perspective.)
My insurance is similar in that it requires the 6-month supervised diet... So far in the past month and a half, I have spoken with my PCP, who in turn referred me to a nutritionist, who in turn referred me to my hospital's WLS program, where (apparently) I'll be doing the 6-month supervised diet through them. So even though I began working towards this almost 2 months ago, I probably still haven't started that 6-month clock ticking yet! (That's OK though, at this point I'm happy just to be moving forward with the process rather than rushing it!)
So unfortunately Dutchgirl, I can't offer you much in the way of info yet. All I can say is, dealing with the hoops the insurance company holds out just takes a LOT of patience. Relax and try not to get too frustrated; it will happen if you are patient but perisistent!
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