Newbie - Glad we found this site!!!
 

Hello,

I'm 18 years old and have needed ADR for over a year. I had microdiscectomy surgery summer of 2011 after United HealthCare denied ADR surgery at that time (and denied all our appeals). The disc started bulging again by October 2011 and was fully herniated by March 2012.

UHC has again denied coverage this year, and denied the peer-to-peer review. :insane:

I am scheduled for ADR surgery this Friday, May 25, and my family has pulled money out of college savings to pay for it.

We have contacted several media outlets and customer advocates, a lawyer's office specializing in insurance bad faith cases, and the Synthes ProDisc PAL office. We will be picketing the UHC office in Cypress, CA this Wednesday May 23 from 11 AM to 1 PM. :chainsaw:

At this point we want UHC to not only cover my procedure, but also change their policy so others can have Lumbar ADR without having to go through this nightmare. We've really appreciated the great info we have found here from gymnast1981, the list of insurance companies that cover this procedure, and the ProDisc PAL info!

Thanks big time for having these bulletin boards. It's great to know we are not alone in this fight.

18 is way toooo young to have to have major back surgery... I was 23 when i found out i needed soemthing but waited and waited and finally did it 8 years later.

Do whatever you can to overturn their decision. dont stop fighting!!! that is my best advice to you!

i fought for over 8 long and stressful months and finally had an independant organization overturn their decision (thank you Obama Care!!!)

Did the affordable care act change something that requires insurance companies to approve independent organization's reviews?
As a huge ObamaCare advocate, I was a bit perturbed to find that I waited until 2013 for surgery only to find the affordable care act made nothing more affordable. Actually, I have heard several stories of where people's healthcare costs skyrocketed.

I completely disagree. I have needed my ADR since I was a teenager and am just now getting to it. 20 years is far too long to lose of your life due to pain. I wish to God I had done it long ago when I was first injured. I wouldn't have missed out on 20 years of my life, and most of my son's.

Stina,

You say your parents are tapping your college savings for surgery here with the ProDisc? The surgery is by far cheaper if you are paying out of pocket to go to Europe. Plus they have better devices and more experienced doctors.

You should look into the European docs before you spend that kind of money here.

How much is your surgery here?

Lilly