| Most insurance companies in the USA pay for bariatric | | | | depression & eating disorders. |
| surgeries (weight loss or obesity surgery). But the | | | | According to United States government research |
| process to obtain approval is a lengthy one & not all | | | | report published in New York Times in 2004, obesity is |
| qualify due to it. The patient needs to establish a | | | | near to overtaking smoking as the No. 1 cause of |
| medical necessity. Following are the points they | | | | death in the United States(tobacco related deaths are |
| consider: | | | | still number 1 with 18.1 percent). According to a |
| - Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher and morbidly | | | | November 2007 report by National Center for Health |
| obesity. BMI is a number calculated from a person's | | | | Statistics obesity rate in the United States was 34 |
| weight and height and is used as an indicator of body | | | | percent (U.S. adults aged 20 and over). Obesity by |
| fatness to categorize obesity. | | | | them is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or |
| - Prove obesity as an issue for more than five years. | | | | greater. |
| - Have exhausted all serious efforts to reduce weight | | | | The stringent requirements that a patient has to meet |
| by non-surgical methods (pills, exercise, dieting, creams | | | | for bariatric health insurance benefits, discourages |
| & location, special clothing etc). | | | | many from being able to avail the weight loss surgery |
| - You have co-morbidities (Medical illnesses/diseases | | | | benefits of their health insurance plan(even if their |
| that are either caused by or contributed to by morbid | | | | insurance policy covers it). |
| obesity. For example, diabetes, high blood pressure, | | | | A viable alternative that is being explored by many is |
| high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and arthritis) | | | | for affordable bariatric surgeries at an overseas |
| Along, with this the patient also needs to provide the | | | | location. These include common bariatric surgery like |
| insurance company data about their: | | | | lap band, gastric bypass & gastric sleeve surgery. |
| - Medical condition related to liver, kidney,heart, | | | | Popular destinations for US patients seeking cost |
| diabetes, or any gastrointestinal disease | | | | effective bariatric surgery is Mexico & Costa Rica. |
| - Thyroid Test Results | | | | Many surgeons at these overseas location have more |
| - Any history of alcohol or substance abuse | | | | experince than their US counterparts. Many times the |
| It makes business sense for health insurance | | | | total cost of surgery and travel expenses combined, is |
| companies to pay for weight loss surgery. There is a | | | | still less than the cost the patient would pay if the |
| number of health risk associated with obesity that | | | | insurance paid its part of the medical insurance |
| would cost the insurance companies more money if | | | | coverage. |
| the bariatric surgery is not performed upfront. Health | | | | For patients that do not have their insurance covering |
| risks associated with obesity are heart disease, | | | | bariatric surgery in the USA, Medical Tourism |
| arthritis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gout, | | | | Corporation helps with high quality bariatric surgery |
| lower back pain, pregnancy complications, bladder | | | | hospital & centers overseas. A page that has links to |
| control problems and cancer to name a few. Additions | | | | articles on weight loss (bariatric) surgery can also |
| to this are psychological disorders like low self esteem, | | | | accessed for more information and knowledge. |