Why Insurance Won't Pay For Weight Loss Treatment

[Guest guest]

Maybe a group like NAAFA would lend some support.

In a message dated Sun, 10 Jun 2001 10:56:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Stella

Sloop serenn@...> writes:

<< At 10:100 -0400 6/10/01, Di wrote:

>In the meantime we should all be

>writing to our state legislators. Mental health care has been

>revolutionized by state legislation mandating parity in benefits. Why

>shouldn't that happen for weight loss?

This is one of the most sensible, pro-active suggestions I've seen

yet. And be sure to write a real letter, not email, because although

emails may be counted (and they aren't always) they rarely come to

the attention of the addressee. Even 'real' letters don't always make

it to the legislator's desk, but enough of them will get his

attention, I guarantee!

Go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ for your representatives'

addresses, and http://www.senate.gov/ for the senate; don't forget

your state legislators either -- they can make themselves heard as

well.

--stella

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[Guest guest]

Insurance won't pay because (a) it's your own fault and ( it is usually

worthless.

Health insurance companies still see themselves as casualty companies that

pay for unavoidable loss, not maintenance. The fact that they all have

" health maintenance organizations " in their names or practices these days

hasn't changed their basic thinking, which has been consistent since the

biggies were founded around the turn of the last century. They will not pay

for anything they think could have been avoided by the individual, or is the

result of a character flaw rather than a biological problem. It isn't just

weight loss. Until they were hit over the head by legislation, they paid

only the most grudging of benefits for mental health or substance abuse.

What all three of those things share is the presumption by certain people

that none of the three would exist if the affected individual would just

show some backbone.

Insurance companies also refuse to pay for weight loss treatment on the

basis that it is often ineffective or unproven. This actually has a lot of

scientific support. We're all here because we've lost hundreds of pounds

and gotten them right back. We all know that dieting doesn't work. It is

the only medical treatment I can think of that is still pushed by doctors

even though even they know it will fail at least 95% of their patients (and

when it does it is, again, because we have no backbone, although they call

it " willpower " ). Nor do insurance companies want to be stuck paying for all

those silly late night TV weight loss products, or health club memberships

for everybody.

Some of the biggest companies in American business are insurance companies,

and their denials are the result of institutional prejudice. It is as

difficult to alter that attitude as it is to corner an aircraft carrier.

The more WLS there is, the more success people have, the more times it gets

written up in the peer reviewed journals, the more hard evidence there will

be that they won't be able to ignore. In the meantime we should all be

writing to our state legislators. Mental health care has been

revolutionized by state legislation mandating parity in benefits. Why

shouldn't that happen for weight loss?

[Guest guest]

At 10:100 -0400 6/10/01, Di wrote:

>In the meantime we should all be

>writing to our state legislators. Mental health care has been

>revolutionized by state legislation mandating parity in benefits. Why

>shouldn't that happen for weight loss?

This is one of the most sensible, pro-active suggestions I've seen

yet. And be sure to write a real letter, not email, because although

emails may be counted (and they aren't always) they rarely come to

the attention of the addressee. Even 'real' letters don't always make

it to the legislator's desk, but enough of them will get his

attention, I guarantee!

Go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ for your representatives'

addresses, and http://www.senate.gov/ for the senate; don't forget

your state legislators either -- they can make themselves heard as

well.

--stella

[Guest guest]

--- gwen20852@... wrote:

> Maybe a group like NAAFA would lend some support.

>

I seriously doubt that NAAFA would lend support, as

they are about accepting themselves and their size,

not about finding ways to treat their size as a

disorder from which to recover from.

Just my opinion

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> Maybe a group like NAAFA would lend some support.

That indeed would be a miracle. NAAFA's agenda is anti-WLS, with their

official statement relying mainly on complications from 30-year old

surgeries in order to shed it in the worst possible light. Nope, I don't see

NAAFA doing anything to make WLS easier anyone, unfortunately.

M.

---

in Valrico, FL, age 38

Starting weight 299, now 156

Starting BMI 49.7, now 26.0

Lap DGB/DS by Dr. Rabkin 10-19-99

http://www.duodenalswitch.com

Direct replies: mailto:melanie@...

_________________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

That indeed would be a miracle. NAAFA's agenda is anti-WLS, with their

official statement relying mainly on complications from 30-year old

surgeries in order to shed it in the worst possible light. Nope, I don't see

NAAFA doing anything to make WLS easier anyone, unfortunately.

They talk about hating fat discrimination for anything. But, you are probably right.

[Guest guest]

....Except that NAAFA doesn't support WLS.. they feel we are

disfuguring ourselves in search of beauty.. they forget the health

aspects, I think.

Hugs,

Liane

> >In the meantime we should all be

> >writing to our state legislators. Mental health care has been

> >revolutionized by state legislation mandating parity in benefits.

Why

> >shouldn't that happen for weight loss?

>

> This is one of the most sensible, pro-active suggestions I've seen

> yet. And be sure to write a real letter, not email, because although

> emails may be counted (and they aren't always) they rarely come to

> the attention of the addressee. Even 'real' letters don't always

make

> it to the legislator's desk, but enough of them will get his

> attention, I guarantee!

>

> Go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ for your representatives'

> addresses, and http://www.senate.gov/ for the senate; don't forget

> your state legislators either -- they can make themselves heard as

> well.

>

> --stella

>

>

>

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>

[Guest guest]

Boy howdy, do they! When I was young and not in pain, I was willing to

be fat and find a way to accept it, make the most of it, wear nice

clothes, etc. But that was way before arthritic knees, high blood

pressure and diabetes. I wonder if someone has done an age study on the

NAFFA members-- bet they're all under 40. Nan E.

Liane wrote:

Except that NAAFA doesn't support WLS.. they feel we are

disfuguring ourselves in search of beauty.. they forget the health

aspects, I think.

________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Good point Nan! Angel

--- Nan Earnheart Leafynan@...> wrote:

>

> Boy howdy, do they! When I was young and not in

> pain, I was willing to

> be fat and find a way to accept it, make the most of

> it, wear nice

> clothes, etc. But that was way before arthritic

> knees, high blood

> pressure and diabetes. I wonder if someone has done

> an age study on the

> NAFFA members-- bet they're all under 40. Nan E.

>

>

>

> Liane wrote:

> Except that NAAFA doesn't support WLS.. they feel we

> are

> disfuguring ourselves in search of beauty.. they

> forget the health

> aspects, I think.

>

________________________________________________________________

> GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!

> Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for

> less!

> Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:

> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

>

>

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>