Bariatric Surgery Costs
By Eddie Tobey, Thu Dec 8th
The cost of Bariatric surgery can be quite high. The typicalprice of an operation can be $25,000 or more. Medical insurancecoverage varies by state and insurance provider, and althoughsome states have legislation in place that requires insurers tooffer weight loss surgery for patients, providing it meetshealth criteria laid down by the National Institutes of Health,other states do not. This means that patients who would benefitfrom bariatric surgery often have to contend with providers thathave not yet accepted that this kind of weight loss surgery candeliver powerful medical benefits that will save them money inthe long run. A patient encountering this problem may have towork with his or her surgeon to prove to the health insuranceprovider that the proposed surgery is not a cosmetic procedure,but a potentially life-saving operation that will minimizefuture health problems.
Individuals who are interested in bariatric surgery and are onMedicare will be glad to know that it covers weight loss surgeryfor morbidly obese patients with an obesity-related orcondition. Morbid obesity is defined as 100 or more poundsoverweight or a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more.
Of course, the costs do not end once a patient successfullyundergoes bariatric surgery. Because weight loss can besignificant, many individuals are left with loose, sagging skinthat no longer has the elasticity to fit the new, slimmer shape.Since neither exercise nor diet will help tighten loose skin,many bariatric patients choose plastic surgery as a remedy. Thecost of bariatric-related plastic surgery operations can varysignificantly, depending on the patient’s condition,complications, the type of anesthesia, and other factors. Someof the more popular post-bariatric surgery procedures include:abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), body lift (circumferentialpanniculectomy), brachioplasty (arm lift), breast lift,augmentation, or reduction, face and/or neck lift, and thighlift.
About the author:Bariatric SurgeryInfo provides detailed information on bariatric surgery,including cost, patients, centers, diet, financing, andcomplications, as well as specific procedures like laparoscopicand bypass surgery. Bariatric Surgery Info is the sister site ofGastric BypassSurgery Web.
