Is Gastric Bypass Surgery Covered By Insurance?
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have had gastric bypass surgery. Unfortunately, millions more still qualify as morbidly obese. That’s not a derogatory term; it’s a technical medical term which means that they weigh so much that they’re at a much greater risk of premature death than a person of normal weight. Bypass surgery continues to be one of the more common non-emergency surgical procedures performed in America. And there are no doubt many more people considering it every year. But for many, gastric bypass surgery insurance questions are what are holding them back. Will their insurance company cover it? If not, why not?
Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the current situation when it comes to gastric bypass surgery. Insurance companies, for the most part, are still reluctant to pay for the procedure. Some of them do, and that number is steadily increasing, but many of them still don’t, and have no intention of doing so. And, at first glance, that’s understandable. The cost of weight loss surgery can be over twenty-five thousand dollars. That’s a lot of money, and insurance companies are in business to make a profit.
On the other hand, gastric bypass surgery insurance coverage makes sense, because if the patient doesn’t get help for their weight problem, they will likely cost the company a lot more than 25 grand down the road, when they’re hospitalized for a heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, etc. Eventually, most of them will start to understand this. But for now, they tend to regard it as “elective” surgery, and decline to pay for it. Your best best is to find a doctor who will declare that in your case gastric bypass surgery is a medical necessity. They might have you try alternatives first, like prescription drugs, since surgery is considered a last resort. But if nothing else works for you, it should not be difficult to find a doctor who will declare that you need the surgery.
