Estimating The True Total Cost Of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery can be expensive and one problem for many people is that they embark on this particular road knowing the baseline cost but overlook the fact that for a whole variety of reasons, often outside of their control, the true total cost by the time they are finished can be a great deal higher.

The first thing that you need to consider is that gastric bypass surgery consists of more than simply the operation itself. In most cases there will be extensive pre-operative counseling and many surgical centers will require you to undergo a pre-treatment program before they will approve your surgery. In addition, most patients will need follow-up dietary and nutritional counseling. Both of these items can add significantly to the overall cost of weight loss surgery.

The second thing to consider is the risk of complications which may require further surgery or additional hospital or outpatient treatment. Most gastric bypass surgery patients will experience a range of complications which will vary from a number of minor problems which are easily resolved to serious complications which require a return to the operating theatre and a further stay in hospital for perhaps several days. Complications can add very considerably to the price of surgery and can even result in a doubling of cost, or more.

The third consideration is whether or not your insurance company will meet your costs. Fortunately, an increasing number of insurance companies are covering obesity surgery today but there are still many policies which explicitly exclude such procedures. In addition, where a policy does cover surgery, you may find that there a number of very strict conditions detailing just what they will and what will not pay for. A policy may for example limit cover to the cost of only certain types of surgery (such as the Roux-en-Y procedure) but not cover anything other than the cost of the operation itself.

Your surgical center will normally be able to give you advice on insurance cover and even contact your insurance company for you to ascertain whether or not the insurance company will approve a claim for your proposed surgery. You should however look on this as simply advice and protect yourself against possible problems at a later date by contacting your insurance company yourself in writing and establishing the position in advance of any treatment. In particular, you should ascertain the full extent of your cover, including pre and post-operative cover and your standing in the event of complications.

Although your baseline cost can range typically from about $15,000 to $35,000 depending upon the type of surgery you are contemplating and where surgery is to be carried out, the final true cost of gastric bypass surgery is likely to be quite a bit higher. So, do your homework and don't elect for surgery until you are happy with the possible final price you may have to pay.

GastricBypassFacts.info is a substantial resource center providing information on obesity and morbid obesity as well as on various forms of gastric bypass surgery.


By Donald Saunders