Advantages of Insurance Coverage for Weight Loss Surgery

Types of weight loss surgery include any operation performed to help a patient lose weight, including adjustable gastric banding, gastric bypass, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and duodenal switch. Sometimes insurance policies cover weight loss surgery.

Cost of Weight Loss Surgery

• According to the Consumer Guide to Bariatric Surgery in January 2010, the cost for adjustable gastric banding ranges from $17,000 to $30,000. The cost of gastric bypass surgery ranges from $18,000 to $35,000.

Insurance Coverage

• When insurance covers weight loss surgery, patients pay any co-pays or deductibles. Their out-of-pocket costs are greatly reduced, however,

Ensuring Quality

• Some insurance companies require covered surgeons and hospitals to meet certain standards. For instance, Medicare only pays for weight loss surgery if it is performed at a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence says the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This may help ensure quality of care for patients.

Follow Up Care

• Patients require long-term follow up care after weight loss surgery, including regular visits to their bariatric doctors and laboratory tests. When insurance covers weight loss surgery, it generally also covers follow-up care. Patients without insurance coverage may be tempted to skimp on follow-up care due to the expense.

Medical Tourism

• The Nora Institute says that some patients without insurance coverage might travel outside the U.S. to places like Mexico, India, and Brazil, where weight loss surgery costs less. Qualified surgeons operate in other countries, but some safety concerns exist. Insurance coverage for weight loss surgery allows patients to receive safe procedures close to home.