Bariatric Surgery and Lower Insurance Premiums

Posted by Patient Help Desk on July 27, 2008 under Financial | Be the First to Comment

Sure, by undergoing bariatric surgery, you’re dramatically improving your health, both now and in the future. But you’re also doing some very good things to your bank account!

A growing number of studies have found that weight loss procedures have imparted valuable benefits for reducing the development of conditions common to morbidly obese men and women. That in part has contributed to falling rates for these patients’ insurance claims. A published study the American Journal of Managed Care showed that in as quickly as 2 to 4 years, health insurers can hope to recoup their costs, which can soar as high $17,000-$26,000.

Surgery or Not: Who Is More Cost-Effective?

For this study, the insurance claims of two subject groups were compared. One group involved over 3,600 morbidly obese men and women who had experienced laparoscopic bariatric surgery, while the other group involved 3,600 subjects who didn’t have surgery. The findings demonstrated that for the surgical subjects expressed reduced percentages of sleep apnea, hypertension and diabetes following their operations. The non-surgical subjects’ percentages rose or stayed the same.

One year after the study’s start, the surgical subjects’ monthly medical costs were as much as $900 less than the non-surgical subjects. Dr. Scott Shikora, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the study’s co-author stated: “Bariatric surgery is a unique field in that with one operation you can cure a wide range of different health conditions.”He added, “this paper demonstrated that you can do that and actually save money in the process.”

Faced with these potentially dramatic health and financial benefits, is it really that surprising that so many obese men and women are going under the knife? About 220,000 surgeries will be performed this year, for a more-than-tenfold increase since 1992. Even better, research suggests that the risk of death from weight loss surgery is now below 1%!

Most health insurers consider cost to be the biggest issue for coverage. While they typically so provide coverage, they try to make it very difficult for patients. As you’d expect, this angers medical professionals. “Obesity is a disease, it’s not just a choice or an eating affliction,” says Shikora. “It is a genetic disease, and I don’t feel that the morbidly obese patient should be treated any differently than a patient with breast cancer, or HIV or other ailments.”

Study Shows that Bariatric Surgery May Relieve Lower Back Pain

Posted by Patient Help Desk on July 12, 2008 under Bariatric Research News | Be the First to Comment

As millions of formerly obese men and women have weight loss surgery, the success stories are growing at a fantastic rate. An increasingly growing body of research is illustrating the benefits of these life-changing procedures for those in need. Among the conditions found to be reduced and maintained with the completion of Lap-Band and/or gastric bypass procedures are diabetes and various cardiovascular risks, just to name a few.

But a ground-breaking study now indicates that undergoing these procedures may impart relief for lower back pain in the morbidly obese. The study’s findings actually represent a dramatic breakthrough for a large segment of the nation’s population. An estimated 75-85% of America’s adults can expect to suffer from back pain during their lifetime. And of course, the number of obese Americans is continually growing; from 2005-2006, there were thought to be 72 million obese Americans!

Generally, obese men and women are afflicted with higher rates of both hip and knee arthritis. As of yet, a link between being overweight and chronic lower back pain – specifically lumbar spinal degeneration, a leading cause – had yet to be discovered. These patients are usually ordered to just lose weight to relieve their back pain.

Putting This Back Study’s Findings Front & Center

This study, conducted by University of Southern California researchers, involved 8 morbidly obese men and 30 morbidly obese women patients. All of these subjects suffered from pre-existing back conditions, and all underwent gastric bypass surgery. Six months after having surgery and experiencing dramatic weight loss, the study’s subjects showed a 44% decrease in pain and discomfort. On average, the subjects each lost 85 pounds for their individual weight loss amounts.

“This study provides evidence that substantial weight reduction following bariatric surgery results in moderate reductions in pre-existing back pain within six months of weight loss,” says Dr. Paul Khoueir, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. “While this initial research is promising, larger long-term trials are needed to prove the efficacy of this treatment.” Additional research is needed to ensure that the study’s findings are reliable long-term.