In a 2007 article by Dr. Doshi and his colleagues, it is estimated that three million Medicare beneficiaries would be eligible for bariatric surgery coverage under current Medicare policy.
Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) includes a variety of procedures performed on people who are obese. Weight loss is achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band, or through removal of a portion of the stomach, or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery).
Using a New England of Medicine paper by Dr. Robinson, The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends bariatric surgery for obese people with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40, and for people with BMI 35 and serious coexisting medical conditions such as diabetes. Long term effects of Bariatric surgery are not clear; pursuing variatric surgery as a therapeutic measure for obesity should be carefully considered and only after less invasive measures are exhausted.
If obesity is a health concern for you or your loved one , discuss available options with your primary care physician immediately. For a list of Bariatric Surgery Centers approved for Medicare patients, please visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.