Group Insurance is a real blessing because the insurance company spreads the risk amongst a group of people BUT limits the amounts of coverage to usually 1 or 2 times salary. So make sure you get all the group coverage you can, even up it! Drawback to group coverage, if you leave your employer it's not portable, in other words you cannot take it with you like a personal policy.
Now as far as damned if you do damned if you dont. Look at it from the insurance companies point of view. I do because I understand the business. In all reality we were very unhelathy before WLS. Many of us should have been dead statistically. In fact with our co-morbidities some of us were totally un-insurable period. So we have a surgery and one year later we are supposed to be in perfect health as far as the insurance company is concerned. Not so fast, they want to take a wait and see approach. It took you your entire life prior to WLS to get to the point of no return so to speak. We had a drastic proceedure. We exposed ourselves to complications, etc. and yet we expect a company in the business of insuring our life to insure our lives simply because in six months to a year we are suddenly healthy? They want to see if this is a life long change so they wait and see how you do. Will your co-morbidities return? Will you put your weight back on? Some weight, all the weight or a portion and then how will that affect the other health issues you have. They will insure you and a lot less than before BUT they will make you pay more than a person who has been healthy their entire life...which is fair.
I personally was a table 8 rating before surgery. Now I am a table 2. I will be considered standard and eligible for elite ratings 5 years post op if I maintain and stay in good health. At table 8 my insurance cost 300% more than it does now. When I get to elite rates it will cost 30% less than it does now. So 18 months post op I am feeling real good about what my insurance costs.
When you look at where I was 320#'s with a BMI of 46, sleep apnea, 2 Blood Pressure Meds, gout medication, arthritius medication, colesterol medication and depression medication. Now I take a small dose of Blood Pressure meds and a small dose of depression med. No more comorbidities. I am healthy and paying a FAIR PRICE for my Life Insurance considering from where I have come. Yes it's more but it is fair.
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Bill
Open RNY 03/24/2004
Dr. Potts
320/180/175 
Pre-op/goal/current
BMI 46/24.9/24
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Jen 
Life Insurance
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