Is It True That Insurance Companies Are Set To Release Funding For Gastric Bypass Surgery?

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Question any weight loss surgeon about whether or not gastric bypass surgery lowers a patient's risk of premature death and he will tell you without any hesitation that it does. Indeed, he will undoubtedly be surprised that you are posing the question at all since surgeons have known for years that weight loss surgery extends patients' lives.

but, put that same question to a number of insurance companies and you may well get a very different answer because, until now, in spite of the fact that there has been a lot of anecdotal evidence for what everybody knows to be the position, there has not been any concrete, hard numerical proof.

Today however the results of two studies have clearly shown in numerical terms that gastric bypass surgery has a marked effect on the mortality of those concerned.

In the first study, a multi-center United States study involving 16,000 patients who were followed over a 7 year period, long-term mortality fell by as much as 40 percent. additionally a second Swedish study involving some 4,000 patients demonstrated a 29 percent fall in mortality.

For a long time now insurance companies have sought to put obstacles in front of patients to prevent them from submitting claims for weight loss surgery and this has been gaining momentum recently as the number of weight loss operations being undertaken has risen dramatically and weight loss surgery has become more and more accepted with a number of celebrities such as Al Rocker, Carnie Wilson, Star Jones and others undergoing weight loss surgery.

The insurance companies however have stuck strictly to the position that gastric bypass surgery should only be used as the option of last resort and that all possible efforts to lose weight through exercise and diet, including if needed the use of drugs, must be exhausted before weight loss surgery is considered. additionally, they have also insisted that gastric bypass surgery may only finally be done if the patient's weight presents a life-threatening risk.

For many people this position by the insurance companies is seen as being quite stupid and a position which they have clearly adopted simply to save the insurance company money. Like it or not, and despite this view, the insurance companies have been able to get away with this for years now because it has not been possible to demonstrate in terms of facts and figures that gastric bypass surgery is not simply a convenient and relatively easy way to lose weight but is the only option for many obesity sufferers and an option that will not only improve their quality of life but literally extend their lives, frequently quite significantly.

For years now overweight individuals have fought with their weight and, although some people have experienced very limited success, most people (and unquestionably those who need to lose in excess of about 80 pounds) have discovered that diet and exercise quite simply does not work. However, they have not had a choice and doctors have also been forced to lead them down this road because of the position of the insurance companies.

Perhaps now at long last the insurance companies will be forced to meet their responsibility in this area and at long last put the needs of their policyholders above those of their shareholders.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

GastricBypassFacts.info gives considerable information on gastric bypass surgery including details of the cost of gastric bypass surgery

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