Bariatric Surgery Costs   by Eddie Tobey

The cost of Bariatric surgery can be quite high. The typical price of an operation can be $25,000 or more. Medical insurance coverage varies by state and insurance provider, and although some states have legislation in place that requires insurers to offer weight loss surgery for patients, providing it meets health criteria laid down by the National Institutes of Health, other states do not. This means that patients who would benefit from bariatric surgery often have to contend with providers that have not yet accepted that this kind of weight loss surgery can deliver powerful medical benefits that will save them money in the long run. A patient encountering this problem may have to work with his or her surgeon to prove to the health insurance provider that the proposed surgery is not a cosmetic procedure, but a potentially life-saving operation that will minimize future health problems.

Individuals who are interested in bariatric surgery and are on Medicare will be glad to know that it covers weight loss surgery for morbidly obese patients with an obesity-related or condition. Morbid obesity is defined as 100 or more pounds overweight or a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more.

Of course, the costs do not end once a patient successfully undergoes bariatric surgery. Because weight loss can be significant, many individuals are left with loose, sagging skin that 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. The cost of bariatric-related plastic surgery operations can vary significantly, depending on the patient?s condition, complications, the type of anesthesia, and other factors.


Some of the more popular post-bariatric surgery procedures include: abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), body lift (circumferential panniculectomy), brachioplasty (arm lift), breast lift, augmentation, or reduction, face and/or neck lift, and thigh lift.