Unfortunately most insurance companies will not approve a BMI under 35-45 (different for each insurance) with no comorbidities. I am not sure what else you could do to ensure that you are approved. But I will keep my fingers crossed for you :)

Check with your insurance company for the requirements. You must have a bmi in a range determined by your ins company and specific co morbidities.

Yep... I'd be calling my INS company for specifics....

I had called my insurance company and they won't tell me anything besides the fact that I need to complete 4 visits with a nutritionist. Another rep said just to go through the process and when the dr submits the paperwork they make a decision, they would give any specific details of their requirements. This is going to drive me crazy, I work so hard to lose the weight and now I may have to gain it back just to do this because I can't seem to lose enough to satisfy my dr. This is so frustrating!

I am in the same boat as far as insurance goes. They will not really give me any answers except for the surgery is covered. I already went to my introductory meeting and they gave me a lot of paperwork and one of those was questions that I am supposed to ask the person I am speaking with on the phone to my insurance co. They are yes and no answers and the person on the phone said it isnt like that and I would have to wait till I see my Dr and it depends on what he tells them I guess. My appt isnt till November but I do know that where I would be having the surgery you have to attend 3 meetings so Im not waiting and Im all registered for the October meeting. Hopefully I will be accepted for the surgery, I am 5' 3 and weigh 253, dont know what my bmi is but I also have mild sleep apnea. I have RA and SS and need a knee replacement so its hard for me to exercise. I have lost weight many times with many different diets. Good luck to you pwashington, I hope you get okd for the surgery. :)

Your physician's accompanying letter can make the difference -- it is frequently intended to cover the "grey" area. This is especially true with a physician or practice group that is known/respected by the insurance company.
Ask the practice manager who handles the insurance submissions if he/she submits to your insurance company and how frequently (the more frequently, the better), and what their experience has been - they can tell you what the company gets hung up on.
Then speak with your physician -- this is part of his/her job. If he can't get you qualified, he likely doesn't do the surgery, and that's missed business. If your physician believes your are a viable candidate and recommends the surgery based on your current BMI and emerging co-morbidities, he will give specific reasons to the insurance company for them to consider. Bariatric practices and surgeons are experienced at explaining the case.
Finally, be cautious about considering the 12-lb weight gain. Most insurance companies require that you submit evidence of weight over a several years periods, so that a sudden weight gain would not be favorable.
You know all the requirements of the insurance company, be sure you follow them precisely. The practice should not submit until everything is complete (you don't want a reject and need to resubmit because something was missed).

Talk to the office manager or the person at the doctor's office who deals with insurance. They've likely seen it all and know the hurdles.

Well for my insurance (UMR) I had to go once a month and do a Doctor supervised weight loss program. Have them weigh me in and then the doc would fill out and fax over to hospital for them to turn it into my insurance. Yes it did cost me fees to see doc (co pay)
I was right on borderline of being able to qualify for surg. I just played along w/ what insurance wanted. Sometimes there will be out of pocket cost...but to me it was worth it for better health. I was so happy when insur. co. sent me a letter telling me I was approved! I still have to pay 10% of the cost of surg. but like that old saying goes...the best things in life aren't free. Good luck on your journey

I called ahead before I ever started to make sure my ins covered me. Then when I went to the Bariatric center they took over and made sure I was covered.
I have the same ins that ThicktoThin has, They made me do the 6 month attempt to lose weight under a doctor's care. Had to jump through all the hoops.
I'd call my ins company and find out what I had to do as soon as possible. In some cases if you have other things like Apnea, Diabetes and so on the BMI thing doesn't exempt you.

Every dr and ins is different. Your insurance should have a list of minimum requirements for the surgery such as BMI and chronic weight related health issues. If you are going through a center of excellence for your surgery they should be able to tell you the requirements of your insurance as well. Your BMI is only 38.8 which might not be enough. It all depends. Good luck!

Here is the link to the BMI calculator
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php

I called the insurance co ahead of time to make sure it was covered.

My insurance company did not cover WLS for any reason, didn't matter what my BMI was, or any comorbitites - my employer did not pay to have the WLS rider added to the plan they had purchased. I was lucky enough that my husband's insurance through his employer did cover the surgery under certain circumstances (BMI over 40 and BMI under 40 with comorbitieis) My BMI was 59.6 when I decided to get surgery. You need to call your insurance company and ask them what they cover. When I went to my surgeon's informational seminar about this program I was given a "script" of questions to ask my insurance company it was extremely helpful. Maybe your surgeon's office has something like that?

My insurance is covering mine, but I am a diabetic and am on insulin.