Hi Birdbomb- I think any insurance company that denies benefits for VNS for drug resistant depression is wrong!!! If you call the FDA like I have- they will tell you its not experimental or they would not of approved it. I am getting ready for my 2nd level peer review appeal hearing. It will be thursday the 27th. Cox Health plans keeps denying me saying its experimental. They are using Hayes Inc. medical reporting against me. But I was given a copy of it and on the bottom of ever page it says- not to be used to deny insurance coverage, not to be used to determine an individuals treatment. It is there judgement only. So I sent all this to the Missouri Deapartment of Insurance and the lady told Cox health plans they are not to use the Hayes report to deny me benefits again. So I dont know what Cox has up its sleeve for this second hearing. Wish me luck- Julie

Thank you for your input Julie.

I am sorry you must jump thru hoops and I can only imagine the difficulties you are facing. Since most of the members here are epilepsy patients, most of us had few or no problems with getting insurance approval. In fact Cyberonics handled my case personaly all the way to the hospital.

Getting the medical profession to embrace new technologies is not an easy task and since you and many other suffers of TRD are on the forefront, you are pioneers. Remember learning in school, how the pioneeers struggled at the beginings of our country, you also are on a new fronteer.

It won't be easy, and many won't succeed. One must keep hope and keep trying. In the meantime, keep searching and researching all you can, find alternitives to help your cause. VNS is not the only option left. :bigarmhug:

:goodluck: In my case I was the first person, other than the study group, in our region of Georgia to get the VNS for TRD. I feel, because of reading and knowing others that got the VNS for depression, I am the exception instead of the rule. I have responded from the first time it was set. I believe and have let it be known, that the test study Cybronics did for the VNS and depression was done incorrectly. I have a friend that applied to be in the test group and she was told she took too much medication and was too suicidal. I feel that they got people that weren't depressed enough. I'm glad I was the first; the insurance company didn't know enough about the procedure and just kept telling me I didn't need a preapproval. After the procedure was done, the fighting began. It's been 7 1/2 months and I was told Medicare only agreed to pay $200.00 on the procedure and that was what my deductable is and they won't pay anymore. In other words Humana paid nothing, the hospital wants me to pay about $240.00 and then they will write off the rest. ($59,450.00) In turn they will take patients for VNS surgery that have epilepsy but not depression. I'm not willing to let it go at that. I have done so good with the VNS, I don't won't my surgery to be the block for somebody in my same position. After over ten years of TRD, 30+ ECT's, every medication possible, and so many hospitalizations and suicide attempts to count. If the whole world could experience what I did and everyone in the same 24 hour time period, the world as we know it would not exist. Tamara :Really Mad:

There were a few patients in the studies who did commit suicide. Either they did accept patients who were borderline suicidal, or one must consider that the VNS had a detrimental effect on their condition.

Unfortunately, not everyone reacts to the VNS uniformily (even amongst epilepsy patients).

:im_033: I guess in a perfect world we wouldn't have to worry about VNS for Epilepsy or Depression; but alas the world is not perfect. I just wish so many people didn't have to suffer, not from just these two diseases, but anything.

:im_033: Labrat :goodluck:

:im_033: