Lap Band Insurance
Those individuals who are overweight and/or obese may be close to the point of opting for the Lap Band procedure to rid them of their weight problem.
One sticking point may be as to whether or not Lap Band Insurance is available to cover a portion or the entire cost of the procedure. Much to the delight of those seeking the lap band operation, Lap Band Insurance has become more available in recent years, opening the door to the weight loss surgery.
Among the insurers that have typically come forward with all or a portion of Lap Band Insurance are Blue Cross, Blue Shield (not in all states, check with your provider), Humana, First Health, Aetna, Health Net, Cigna, United Healthcare, Medicaid and American Family Insurance.
Lap Band Insurance can make the difference in the reasoning for someone seeking to have the operation. By having Lap Band Insurance available, it makes the call as to whether or not to have the surgery much easier to make.
As for the thought process of insurance companies as to whether or not grant Lap Band Insurance, one important factor will be reviewing the prospective candidates body mass index (BMI).
A persons insurer can view the individual as a candidate for Lap Band Insurance if their BMI registers at least 35 (with a pair of underlying health conditions) or a BMI of 40 or greater (with no underlying health conditions to speak of).
The most productive way to go about figuring out if a persons insurance company will provide Lap Band Insurance is to look at the insurance policy package that an individual received after payment of their first premium or provided through a plan under the guidance of their employer.
It is typical for there to be two sections that will highlight the extent and limits related to coverage.
The first is typically labeled "What Is Covered" or "Covered Expenses." These are the healthcare benefits that fall under company coverage.
The Lap Band Procedure
The second section that a prospective patient for the lap band procedure should go over is usually under "What Is Not Covered" or "When the Plan Does Not Pay Benefits."
In this section when looking to see if an individual qualifies for Lap Band Insurance, prospective patients should be searching for any indicator that the company excludes coverage for weight control, for the treatment of obesity, for the surgery for weight control, or for the complications of lap band surgery related weight control.
It is important to note when looking into Lap Band Insurance that some policies will simply not provide coverage for the weight loss procedure while others may pick up a portion of the bill. Also note that there can be coverage if the weight loss surgery is viewed as medically necessary.
For those patients finding it difficult to obtain Lap Band Insurance, another option to consider is to see if the individual may receive a portion of the coverage by having some tests covered or undergoing another (approved) abdominal surgery done at the same time.
For more information about Lap Band, call 1-800-953-5000.
