Anyone considering lap band surgery will almost certainly have a long list of questions and towards the top of that list will be the question of cost. Unfortunately, while this might seem like a simple question, it is not all that simple to answer.
The cost of having lap band surgery will depend upon several factors but the first thing you must do is ascertain whether you qualify as a candidate for surgery. Making up your mind that you want weight loss surgery is all well and good but when it comes to paying for surgery whether or not you meet the criteria of the National Institutes of Health (NHI) is a critical factor.
In general, if you have a body mass index of 40 or greater then you will automatically meet the requirements of the NHI. You may also qualify if your BMI falls between 35 and 39 provided you are also suffering from a serious medical problem which is directly related to your weight. The list of associated medical conditions is lengthy but will include such things as hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes.
If you fail to meet the NHI criteria then you will need to pay the full cost of lap band surgery yourself.
The next thing you need to determine is whether your health insurance policy will meet all or some of the cost of surgery. It is generally believed that insurance companies will not meet the cost of weight loss surgery but this is not the case and health insurers are increasingly funding either all or part of the bill for lap band surgery. This said, your health insurer will only fund the cost if you meet the requirements of the NIH and if your doctor states that surgery is medically necessary.
Okay, so how much is lap band surgery going to cost?
The cost of lap band surgery is complex as you have to work out not just the cost of the surgery itself but the associated costs which will vary widely depending upon where surgery is performed and by whom. Costs must include such things as pre-surgical tests, surgeon's fees and hospital fees. Also, there will be a number of post-operative fees for services like medical visits, nutritional counseling and psychological support.
If surgery is done in the US then you can expect it to cost from $17,000 to $30,000 for surgery and post-surgical care provided you do not encounter any complications. While significant complications are not common they do crop up occasionally and costs can then increase dramatically.
If surgery is done outside of the US then the cost will be lower and you can expect it to cost between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band procedures have been done for some considerably time in Australia and Europe where the results have been excellent and is also now being increasingly carried out in countries like Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico and the Far East.
If you are thinking about going overseas for surgery then you must factor in the cost of travel and post-operative care which can add considerably to the total cost but may still be cheaper than having surgery at home. You will also need to check with your health insurer if applicable as it is unlikely that your insurer will fund the cost of any surgery that is done overseas. Lastly, you will need to take into consideration the fact that you might have very much less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery outside of your home country.
Author Resource:-
Generally speaking having surgery in your home country will probably be your best and safest option but if the cost difference is large enough in your own case then you might well consider that it is worth the risk.
![[Valid RSS feed]](/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
