How Much Does Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery Cost?

Anybody who is contemplating lap band surgery will almost certainly have a long list of questions and at the top of that list will be the question of price. Unfortunately, although this might appear to be a simple question, it is not quite so simple to answer.

The price of having lap band surgery depends upon several things but first you have got to ascertain whether you qualify for surgery. Deciding that you want lap band 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 crucial factor.

In general, if you have a BMI of 40 or over you will meet the NIH requirements. You could also qualify if your BMI falls between 35 and 39 provided you are also suffering from a serious medical condition that is associated with your weight. The list of associated medical conditions is long but includes such things as hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes.

If you do not meet the requirements of the NHI then you will have to meet the full cost of lap band surgery yourself.

The next thing you need to examine is whether your health insurance plan will meet part or all of the cost of surgery. It is generally said that insurance companies will not pay for weight loss surgery but this is not so and health insurance companies are increasingly funding either all or some of the cost of weight loss surgery. Your health insurer will however only fund the cost if you meet the NIH criteria and if your doctor states that surgery is a medical necessity.

So, what is lap band surgery going to cost?

The price of lap band surgery is complex as you need to factor in not merely the cost of surgery itself but the associated costs and these will vary widely according to where surgery is carried out and by whom. Fees will include such things as pre-surgical tests, surgeon's fees and hospital fees. In addition, there will be various post-surgery fees for services like follow-up medical visits, nutritional counseling and psychological support.

Where surgery is carried out in the US then you could reasonably expect to pay anywhere between $17,000 and $30,000 for surgery and post-operative care provided you do not run into any complications. Though significant complications are uncommon they do arise every now and again and costs may then increase dramatically.

Where surgery is carried out outside of the US then the price will be less and you could expect to pay between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band surgery has been done for many years in both Europe and Australia where results have been excellent and is also now being increasingly performed in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, Canada and the Far East.

Should you be considering going abroad for surgery then you will need to include the cost of travel and post-operative recovery care which can add considerably to the total cost but still be less expensive than undergoing surgery at home. You will also need to check with your health insurer if applicable as it is very unlikely that your insurer will pay the cost of surgery which is done abroad. Finally, you will have to take into consideration the fact that you may have considerably less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery outside of your home country.

Generally speaking having surgery in your home country is likely to be your safest choice but if the price difference is big enough in your particular case then you may well consider that it is worth the risk.

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