If your life and health are being affected by obesity, you might be interested in how to get weight-loss surgery approved. Oftentimes, people will put off the procedure because they are intimidated by the process. With WeightWise, we assure you that your journey to a better you will go smoothly. We offer a number of resources to help you every step of the way.
Determining if you are a candidate for weight-loss surgery
Not everyone is a candidate for bariatric surgery. To determine if you will be approved, we offer a free online assessment that can be found on our website. This 60-second questionnaire will ask you a number of questions regarding your life, weight, and weight-loss journey. Then the results will be securely sent to you through your email.
General requirements for weight-loss surgery
- Have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher
- Been unsuccessful with weight management, even after improving diet and exercise
- Have a BMI between 35 and 40 in addition to at least one weight-related health problem
Weight-related medical conditions that are often improved by weight-loss surgery (but not always)
- Arthritis
- Sleep apnea
- Fatty liver disease
- Breathing disorders
- Asthma
- Cholesterol abnormalities
- Urinary stress incontinence
- High blood pressure
- Venous stasis
If you are determined to be a candidate, here’s how to get your weight-loss surgery approved:
Getting Started: Insurance
Before proceeding, we recommend attending one of our free weight-loss surgery seminars. Currently fully online, the seminar could potentially answer a number of your financial questions.
When it comes to paying for your surgery, there are three main routes:
- You have no health care insurance
- You have insurance but no bariatric surgery benefits
- You have insurance and bariatric surgery benefits
Whatever your situation might be, we will try to guide you as much as possible. Unfortunately,, not all insurance companies will cover the cost of weight-loss surgery. However, if you are unable to pay your bill outright, there are some financing companies that we recommend.
Medicare
If you have Medicare and are looking to lose weight through a weight-loss surgery such as a roux-en-y gastric bypass or gastric bypass surgery, there are a number of requirements that you must meet in order to get approved:
- Have a BMI of 35 or greater
- Have a physician’s letter supporting or recommending weight-loss surgery
- Have an illness that is directly related to your obesity
- Show proof of medically supervised weight-loss program completion or nutritional counseling
- Show documented evidence of obesity for the last five years
- Take normal screening tests that prove that there are no other medical issues that are causing your morbid obesity
- Pass a psychological evaluation
WeightWise’s operating physicians are out of network with Medicare. However, our hospital and nurse practitioners accept it.
For more information about medicare and weight-loss surgery, check out our blog on the subject.
If you meet all of the requirements and take the necessary steps with your insurance, you should be ready to start your journey!
WeightWise: Your Journey to a New You
You will then meet with one of our surgeons to discuss your options. They may recommend one type of weight-loss surgery over the other, such as a sleeve gastrectomy over an adjustable gastric band, because of health reasons. However, that decision is typically left to our clients if our surgeon doesn’t see a need for one method over another.
Next, you will meet with one of our dietitians and exercise physiologists to go over the pre-surgery and post-op requirements.
Have any questions or concerns about your weight-loss surgery? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We are here to assist you