Letters to the editor

Gastric bypass should be covered by insurance

Dear editor:

There are thousands of Missourians that are morbidly obese and need gastric bypass surgery to literally save their lives and yet most insurance companies will not cover this procedure. It seems like insurance companies would rather continue to pay for medicine and treatment for all the complications that morbidly obese people have such as; type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, back and joint pain, asthma and other complications, than pay for the cure. With gastric bypass surgery the complications can go away.

Morbidly obese is defined as 100 pounds over your ideal weight. We morbidly obese people did not ask for our fate, it is a disease, it is hereditary, it is caused by emotional problems. People are not morbidly obese just because they have "over ate." Only closed minded and non understanding people would say this.

All the morbidly obese people in the United States should make insurance companies step up and cover this medically necessary surgery. There are five states in the United States that have passed laws that make it mandatory that insurance companies must offer coverage for morbid obesity, including surgery. I started on a mission to see what it would take to get the same type of law passed in Missouri and found out two days before the close of the last session that there is a house bill that would do this and no legislator is taking the necessary steps to get it passed to help us Missourians who need this help. The bill is House Bill 84.

I am on a mission to unite Missourians to pressure their representatives and senators to pass this bill in the next session. If your readers would like a copy of this bill and to join forces please write to me at: P.O. Box 116, Pierce City, MO 65723.

Insurance companies have taken our premiums and given us the coverage they want and we just have had to set back and take what they give us and the politicians haven't been forceful enough in making insurance companies provide what is medically necessary because insurance companies have lobbyists. We need to join together and be heard as loud as the lobbyist but since we can't be heard with money like the lobbyist we will be heard with our vote and that I think is more powerful.

I look forward to hearing from your readers and helping unite Missourians to get the medical care we deserve.

-- Julie Johnson

Pierce City, Mo.