Here’s some good news for those men and women considering bariatric surgery. You may be in for some dramatic financial benefits, as well as those for your health!

These procedures may help to reduce the development of other health conditions suffered from morbidly obese men and women. As a result, these patients’ insurance claims may be dramatically reduced. According to a new study published in the American Journal of Managed Care, health insurers may be able to recover these costs in as little as 2-4 years. These costs have been estimated to range between $17,000 and $26,000.

Reaping Multiple Benefits for Obesity-Related Conditions

In the study, the researchers compared the insurance claims of two groups: more than 3,600 morbidly obese men and women who had undergone laparoscopic bariatric surgery and 3,600 who did not have the surgery. It was shown that for those who did have the surgery, there were decreases in the percentages of diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea after the operation. As for those who didn’t have the surgery, the percentages either stayed the same or rose.

In addition, after one year, the monthly medical costs for those patients who underwent surgery were up to $900 less than those who didn’t have the surgery! “Bariatric surgery is a unique field in that with one operation you can cure a wide range of different health conditions,” said study co-author Dr. Scott Shikora, president of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. “This paper demonstrated that you can do that and actually save money in the process.”

Due to these proposed health benefits, more and more obese people are undergoing bariatric surgery. It’s estimated that there will be about 220,000 procedures performed this year; this represents a more-than-tenfold increase since 1992. And as additional evidence, there is now less than 1% of the risk of death from weight loss surgery.

While most insurers consider factors like safety and quality in terms of coverage, cost is the main issue. Generally, insurers have covered these procedures, although they do their best to make it more difficult for patients to receive coverage. For instance, the majority of patients do their best to lose weight before considering surgery. Nevertheless, some insurers require a six-month, doctor-supervised weight-loss program before the operation.

This doesn’t sit well with many medical professionals, such as Shikora. “Obesity is a disease, it’s not just a choice or an eating affliction,” he says. “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.”