Insurance advice

[Guest guest]

I am 19 and currently in need of upper and lower jaw surgery to

correct my bite. This has been the plan since I started on this

'dental road' at 13. Yet, we switched insurance companies at the first

of the year, from Primera to Group Health, and the surgery is now not

covered.

While there is no doubt the surgery is necessary and not for cosmetic

purposes - it isn't covered. Yet my orthdontist has told us to appeal

to our insurance company and fight for coverage of some sort.

I was curious as to how we might go about this. Any advice is welcome.

We're currently working with my dentist, orthodontist and oral

surgeon, but figured any help is better than none.

As for dental history, I had a pallet separator and braces on top at

14, and had braces put back on a year ago, with plans for oral surgery

this summer, now that there's no more growth in the bones. My bite was

crooked and open and I started experience pain a year and a half ago.

I currently refrain from eating a number of foods because I simply

can't chew them and eventually any chewing leads to pain on the side

where the jaws make no contact with each other.

My dentist, orthodontist and oral surgery have urged, since the

beginning, for the surgery and say it will no doubt fix the state I'm in.

So again, any advice on how to handle the insurance coverage issue is

greatly appreciated.

-M-