I'm a military spouse and am looking into gastric bypass...?

Question

I want to know if the military will pay for this? (I have tricare) Also how do I get the process started??? Do I just go to my PCM....and what would I make the apt. for?

Answer 1

I'm not sure about Tricare, but for most insurances, you need to be at least 100 pounds overweight and have some kind of comorbidity (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.) for the insurance to pay for gastric bypass.  In addition, before an insurance company will approve it, they generally require that you've made previous doctor-supervised attempts at weight loss.  They will also probably send your for counseling, psychological evaluation, and nutrition classes prior to surgery.  Requirements vary by insurance company, so your best bet would be to contact your insurance company directly.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, Tricare will not cover this unless it is strictly for a medical emergency. Even then, it's a hard process to have happen with Tricare paying for it. You have to be morbidly, morbidly obese! Trust me..I looked into it, and I did not qualify! If I wanted to qualify I'd have to gain about 200 pounds!

Answer 3

Do you know anyone who's already had the surgery?  Ask about their surgeon's support groups and attend a few to get your questions answered.  My surgeon required that I attend at least two anyway before I could have the surgery.  Please do A LOT of research before you go forward.  It's a great life-saving procedure, but you must be informed and be willing to follow through with what you need to do to make it work.