03 Dec Bariatric Surgery Cost: Is it Cost Effective?
Bariatric surgery is a treatment for those who have taken drastic measures to lose weight. Bariatric surgery cost can vary, but the procedure typically costs at least $15,000 with additional expenses such as hospital stay and follow-up doctor visits.
Bariatric surgery will not be right for everyone; however, it may be able to help you achieve your weight goal if you’re struggling with obesity.
If you’re considering this option, but don’t know where to start, continue reading below.
How Cost-Effective is WLS and Robotic Bariatric Surgery?
The health risks associated with severe obesity are extensive. And with these obesity-related health problems–including diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and obstructive sleep apnea–come increases in health care costs. A recent study found that while moderate obesity (BMI 30 to 35) drives up health care costs by 20 to 30% compared to those at a healthy weight, severe obesity (BMI 40 to 50) more than doubles health care costs. Weight-loss surgery is a highly effective treatment option for severe obesity, and often improves or resolves weight-related health conditions. Growing research is also showing that surgery procedures, such as the lap-band and gastric bypass, are also cost-effective bariatric treatments.
Cost-Effectiveness of Bariatric Surgery
At the Obesity Society’s 2012 Meeting an analysis was presented showing that weight-loss surgery was cost-effective in eleven different studies. In patients with diabetes, surgery was actually COST-SAVING in 3 studies, indicating that patients having surgery would ultimately spend less on health care costs than if they had not received surgery, likely due to the elimination of diabetes medications and diabetes complications.
A study recently published in the Journal of American Medicine showed that at 7-20 years after having weight loss surgery, patients were paying several hundred dollars less per year on medicine co-pays, than a control group who did not have weight-loss surgery. Dr. Kim Marley, a bariatric surgeon, said: “This study nicely demonstrates what we have seen and known for years. Not only does bariatric surgery improve overall health, but has the added bonus of cost savings.”
One of the primary concerns of weight-loss surgery patients is often the cost of their procedure. While many insurance companies do cover weight-loss procedures, the insurance approval process can be intimidating to patients. At the Colorado Bariatric Surgery Institute, we provide a free insurance evaluation for your bariatric surgery prior to your consultation. We want you to know what insurance benefits your carrier provides for bariatric surgery in order to help you manage the cost of surgery from day one. We also offer special self-pay financing for gastric bypass, and gastric sleeve. Please call 303-861-4505 to speak with our informed staff concerning these options for weight-loss surgery.
Bariatric Surgery Cost
The cost for bariatric surgery may vary per patient. To give you an idea how much it costs in CBSI, you may find the costs of self-pay prices for bariatric surgery in this page.
If you want to get free insurance evaluation, you may answer our form here and we’ll contact you.