Bariatric Surgery – Lap Band, Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve Surgery
Every year, numerous overweight individuals decide to finally get rid of their excess weight through a rigorous diet and exercise regimen. Unfortunately, many of them fail in their quest for a better body and health. The reasons why many people are unable to lose weight and keep it off vary. Some common factors interfering with weight loss include: stressful lifestyle, emotional eating, genetic predisposition and certain medical conditions. When combined with aggressive media campaigns promoting tasty, cheap fast food and hectic schedules that do not leave time for exercise, these factors make overcoming obesity a seemingly impossible task. However, recent advances in medical knowledge offer obese individuals hope for a better and healthier future.
Until recently, weight loss surgery used to be a complex treatment requiring many hours under anesthesia and months of recovery time, which meant that only morbidly obese patients chose this procedure. However, modern surgical technologies and techniques have made bariatric surgery a viable treatment option for a much wider range of obese individuals. For example, gastric banding surgery, such as Lap-Band, can be completed in one hour, and patients often are able to resume their regular activities within a week of their procedures. Gastric bypass surgery and recovery take somewhat longer as this operation is typically completed in two to four hours and patients recover within several weeks.
Both Lap-Band surgery and gastric bypass can be performed laparoscopically. This surgical method results in less conspicuous scarring and greatly reduces the recovery time. When performing a laparoscopic procedure, a surgeon creates several small incisions in a patient's abdomen, through which he or she inserts special instruments, including surgical cameras. By manipulating these sophisticated instruments, a surgeon is able to constrict the size of the stomach, thus reducing the amount of food that a patient can eat and/or absorb. This leading-edge surgery requires special skill on the part of the surgeon, which is why it is important that patients choose their bariatric surgeons very carefully.
Besides the shortened surgery and recovery time, another factor making weight loss surgery a viable option for many patients is insurance coverage. While bariatric surgery cost can reach up to $22,000, in most cases at least a portion of the expenses is covered by insurance. It is a widespread practice for both private and public insurance companies to cover 80 percent of Lap-Band and gastric bypass cost. However, to qualify for the reimbursement, patients usually have to prove that bariatric surgery is medically necessary. For patients covered by Medicare, this means that they have to have a body mass index (BMI) above 35.
For most individuals covered by private insurance companies, weight loss surgery insurance qualifications include three factors: body mass index above 35, obesity-related health problems and a documented history of unsuccessful weight loss attempts. While most bariatric surgery patients do qualify for gastric bypass and Lap-Band insurance, some individuals who cannot prove that surgery is a medical necessity decide to pay out of pocket for their treatments in order to obtain a healthier lifestyle. The surgically-induced weight loss results in a host of health benefits, including reduced risks of diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke. In addition, many individuals are able to stop using certain medications after achieving normal weight. A notable example is the diabetes drug Avandia. While Avandia might help manage diabetes, Avandia side effects create new risks for many patients, such as Avandia heart attack and Avandia stroke.