Will BCBS of Illinois Help Pay for Weight Watchers?
Saturday, January 1st, 2011 at
6:05 pm
I have PPO coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and am wondering if they will co-pay for weight watchers with me? Does anyone know?
Tagged with: blue cross blue shield • blue cross blue shield of illinois • blue shield of illinois • Weight Watchers
Filed under: Weight Watchers
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No. BC BS will only pay for treatment rendered by a licensed physician or surgeon, or someone who works under their direct supervision and is trained or experienced in performing medical procedures, and is licensed to do so. , such as an x ray technician or physical therapist.
A weight watchers counselor is usually a person with no medical training,. who never works under the direct spupercisiopn of a doctor and is not licensed. Therefore, it would not fall under these guidelines.
.
Only if your doctors orders that Weight Watchers is medically necessary. And even then – BCBS might argue there are less expensive methods of dieting.
no
the only case when any insurance company might be willing to do that would be if your physician says that your obesity is so severe that your health is in significant danger. And then Weight Watchers wouldn’t be nearly enough support for the amount of weight you’d need to lose.
Most insurance companies will only pay for these type of programs if you have been diagnosed as morbidly obese and have a serious health risk because of it. You will need to call BCBS to check on their policies. In the link below, there is a good checklist to cover when you call:
http://www.myweightdoctor.com/physician-weight-loss-insurance.aspx