Re: Federal Insurance for BPD/DS- Siri

[Guest guest]

Hi Siri,

BCBS Fed did pay for my BPD/DS AFTER a long battle. As far as I know

(based on this and other lists) they have paid for approx. 25-30 DS's

but if you ask them outright their plan still says that the DS is

experimental and investigative.

What state are you in and who is your surgeon? A lot depends on the

codes your surgeon uses. I know this is a federal program and

benefits are not suppose to change from state to state but a lot

still does depend on what state processes your claim. If the state's

BCBS plan approves BPD/DS's then the fed plan in that state is more

likely to approve it. For example Nebraska's BCBS state plan approves

BPD/DS so it goes through very easy there, but in Oregon their state

plan calls DS E & I so they sometimes deny the claims.

They say they won't pre-approve before surgery but a lot of times

they will. Press for the pre-approval and have the document in hand

before you have your surgery. It will save on the hassle after the

surgery.

Please e-mail me privately if you'd like more info on BCBS Fed. Good

luck.

1/23/01 Dr DS

268 BMI 42

164 BMI 25