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Gastric Bypass Guide
Cost of Gastric Bypass Surgery
One of the first questions that many people ask when they are considering weight loss surgery is "what is the cost of gastric bypass surgery?" While this is a wholly understandable question, unfortunately it is not a simple question to answer.
Gastric bypass surgery is a full surgical procedure requiring the services of a surgical team including a qualified bariatric surgeon, an anesthetist, a psychologist and other specialists, as well as hospitalization for at least 2 to 3 days followed by a 2 to 6 week recovery period.
Gastric bypass surgery also comes in a variety of different forms today and while the long-established Roux-en-Y procedure is still widely practiced, many other forms of surgery, in particular laparoscopic stomach surgery, are gaining in popularity.
Also, like many other forms of surgery, gastric bypass surgery is not without its risks and, while many patients will sail through the procedure, a significant number will develop complications either in hospital or during the recovery period which can push up the overall cost of the procedure considerably.
Against this background it can be seen that the cost is going to be significant and is going to vary widely, but just how significant is it and what sort of variation can be expected?
Well, at the bottom end of the scale, a minor procedure, such as gastric banding, without complications can be expected to cost around $17,000. This figure will increase to perhaps as much as $35,000 for full gastric bypass surgery.
Should complications arise it is extremely difficult to say just what the additional cost would be but it would not be unreasonable to think in terms of a figure of $50,000.
Although gastric bypass surgery is an expensive procedure, the good news is that, in many cases, a substantial part (if not all) of this cost can be met by insurance. This will of course depend upon the type of insurance policy you hold and the terms of that policy and will often involve something of an uphill battle with your insurance company but, nonetheless, this is the first avenue that you should explore.
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