Estimating The True Total Cost Of Gastric Bypass Surgery

Gastric bypass surgery is not cheap and, unfortunately, many people choose to undergo surgery knowing the baseline gastric bypass cost but overlooking the fact that a variety of factors, frequently outside of their control, will result in the cost of gastric bypass surgery being far higher than they had expected by the time they are finished.

Gastric bypass surgery involves much more than merely the operation itself. In the majority of cases it will also involve extensive pre-operative counseling and many surgical centers require you to undertake a pre-treatment program before approving your surgery. Additionally, most patients will require a period of follow-up nutritional and dietary counseling. These two items can add considerably to the final cost of a gastric bypass.

You also need to consider the risk of complications arising, which may require additional surgery and hospitalization or outpatient treatment.

All gastric bypass surgery patients will suffer some complications which will vary from minor problems which are easily treated to serious complications which result in further surgery and hospitalization for perhaps several days. Once again, complications can add very considerably to the cost of gastric bypass surgery and can even end up doubling the cost.

Finally, you need to consider is whether or not your insurer will meet your costs. A growing number of insurance companies are covering weight loss surgery today but there are still all too many policies which exclude obesity treatment. Further, where a policy does cover obesity treatment, you may find that there a number of conditions detailing exactly what they will and what will not pay for. Your policy might for example limit cover to certain types of surgery (like the Roux en Y procedure) and only cover the cost of the operation itself.

Surgical centers will ordinarily give you advice on insurance cover and will often even contact your insurance company for you to ask whether or not they would pay a claim for your intended surgery.

However, you should view this as simply advice and protect yourself against problems at a later date by writing to your insurance company yourself and obtaining their written confirmation of your cover in advance of any treatment.

In writing to your insurer you need to ascertain the full extent of your cover, including cover for pre and post-surgical counseling and treatment and in the event of complications.

The basic cost of gastric bypass surgery typically runs from about $15,000 to $35,000 depending upon the nature of the operation you are considering and where your surgery is going to be carried out. However, the final cost of gastric bypass surgery is likely to be quite a bit higher than this basic cost.

In short - do your homework and do not commit yourself to surgery until you are happy that you can comfortably meet the final price which you may have to pay.

More articles about gastric bypass surgery:

Insurance Cover For Gastric Bypass Surgery - Can you get insurance cover for gastric bypass surgery? This article looks at this important question for anybody contemplating weight loss surgery.

Meeting The Cost Of Bariatric Surgery - The cost of bariatric surgery today remains high and this article examines just what you might have to pay for weight loss surgery today.

The Risks Of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery - Since its introduction in the United States in 2001, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery has proved increasingly popular, not least because of the low risk and relatively few complications associated with it. There are however risks to gastric band surgery and these need to be considered carefully.

Bleeding complications after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery ... - Th...
4 Mar 2010 at 5:39pm

Bleeding complications after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery ...
The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Hecht-Dolnik M, Barkan H, Taharka A, Loftus J. Hetastarch increases the risk of bleeding complications in patients after off-pump coronary bypass surgery: a ...

and more »
Obesity rates put pressure on provinces to fund surgery - CTV.ca
4 Mar 2010 at 5:53pm

Obesity rates put pressure on provinces to fund surgery
CTV.ca
"We have heard the opinion that the lap-band procedure is a less invasive kind of intervention compared to gastric bypass surgery," Oswald said. ...

and more »
Lap-Band popularity growing - Daily Republic
6 Mar 2010 at 12:18am

Lap-Band popularity growing
Daily Republic
Another popular bariatric procedure, mostly in years past, was gastric bypass. However, Nathan Hinker, a nurse practitioner at Avera Queen of Peace Hospital ...


Affordable low cost Bariatric surgery in India with medical tourism services....
24 Feb 2010 at 6:15am

PR-inside.com (press release)
Affordable low cost Bariatric surgery in India with medical tourism services.
PR-inside.com (press release)
Gastric bypass surgery, like roux-en-y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal switch implantable gastric stimulation. Medical Tourism in India ...

and more »
A bariatric boom? - CharlotteObserver.com
1 Mar 2010 at 9:43pm

CharlotteObserver.com
A bariatric boom?
CharlotteObserver.com
The most common weight-loss surgeries - laparoscopic gastric bypass and gastric banding, which restrict stomach size so that patients feel full more quickly ...
Bariatric Surgery: ?Life Changing and Life Saving?Hollywood Gazette

all 8 news articles »