Introduction

Hi!

My name is Britt. I'm a 41 year old mother of two small boys, part-time software program manager, and a lap band patient. I had my lap band placed in 2006 and had two great years. Then I started gaining weight and found out I had a dilated pouch and probably a small slip. I consulted with three doctors and all agreed the band ought to come out and I should consider revising to a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I have Federal BCBS, known to cover VSGs, but my local BCBS office disagreed. They say the lap band complications aren't life threatening, it can't come out because I'm not morbidly obese any more and that VSG is investigational (try telling all the other BCBS offices around the country that - they know that Fed BCBS has been covering VSG since 2008).

So what am I going to do? I'm going to fight on appeal. Am I going to win? Well, probably not. But I'm going to try. And then it occurred to me today that the appeal I wrote might help other people too. How do I know? Because someone else helped me. Teresa of thediaryofafatwoman blog here on blogspot. Almost all of the material I submitted in my fight against the investigational claim came from her. And it was great! I just reorginizaed it a little. My main letter covers everything else - why removing my lap band is important, why it's not right to deny VSG when every other Federal BCBS person that requests it gets it, and how my current BMI shouldn't play in to fixing a procedure I qualified for that was covered.

I haven't submitted it yet. Do you enjoy offering advice? I'd sure love to have you read what I wrote and let me know what you think.

Thanks!
Britt