The process I've gone through with Kaiser Permenente South Sacramento Bariatric Program
This is my own personal experience with my insurance provider and program. Your journey may very. Please ask your medical insurance provider about the steps you need to take to get approved for WLS.
I will update my timeline as I continue my journey.
My Insurance - Kaiser Permenente My Hospital and Program - Kaiser South Sacramento Bariatric Program
Step 1 (September 14th, 2015): I spoke with my Primary Care Doctor. I asked her about Bariatric surgery and what the process would be. She told me about Kaiser's Bariatric Program. My Doctor sent me a referral to the Weight Loss Surgery Overview Class.
Step 2 (September 22nd, 2015) : I attended Kaiser's Weight Loss Surgery Overview Class. This class was an information class that discusses the lifestyle changes needed to be successful after WLS. These includes eating small portions (one ounce of food in the beginning per meal), sticking 100% to your diet plan and following diet restrictions, taking lifelong needed vitamins in addition to other things. They discussed how important it is to be fully committed in lifestyle changes before you have weight loss surgery. They did not talk about specific surgery's, the WLS process or timeline. This is class is help you decide if WLS is right for you. YOU ARE NOT YET IN THE BARIATRIC PROGRAM. THIS IS JUST AN INFORMATION CLASS. You can read more about the class in my blog post, there is a link below.
Step 3 (September 22nd, 2015): After class I emailed my Doctor asking her for my official referral to Kaiser South Sacramento Bariatric Program.
Step 4 (September 22nd, 2015): I emailed my Dr at 9:55 am asking to have my official referral sent. At 1:30 pm I received a confirmation email that he has sent the referral.
*disclaimer* This is to show the process that I have gone through with Kaiser Permenente in Northern California. Every insurance provider's process is different and your own personal experience may be different from my own. Please consult with your medical insurance provider about the steps needed to get WLS.