How Much Does Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery Cost?

Anyone considering lap band surgery will probably have a long list of questions and fairly high up on that list is going to be the question of cost. Sadly, while this may seem like an easy question, it is not quite so simple to answer.

The cost of having lap band surgery will depend upon many things but first you have got to ascertain whether or not you qualify as a candidate for surgery. Making up your mind that you need or want weight loss surgery is all well and good but when it comes to paying for surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health (NHI) is a crucial factor.

As a rule, if you have a body mass index of 40 or more then you will meet the requirements of the NHI. You can also qualify if your BMI is between 35 and 39 provided you are also suffering from a serious medical condition that is directly related to your weight. The list of associated medical conditions is lengthy but will include such things as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

If you fail to meet the NHI requirements then you will need to meet the full cost of lap band surgery yourself.

The next thing that you must look at is whether or not your health insurance will pay for all or some of the cost of surgery. It is frequently thought that insurers will not pay for weight loss surgery but this is not so and insurance companies are increasingly meeting either some or all of the cost of lap band surgery. Your health insurance company will however only meet the cost if you meet the requirements of the NIH and your doctor certifies that surgery is medically necessary.

Okay, so what is lap band surgery going to cost?

The cost of lap band surgery is complex because you need to work out not simply the price of surgery itself but all of the associated costs which will vary widely depending upon where surgery is carried out and by whom. Costs will include such things as pre-surgical tests, fees for your surgeon and hospital charges. Also, there will be various post-surgery charges for services such as follow-up medical visits, nutritional counseling and psychological support.

Where surgery is done in the US then you might expect it to run from $17,000 to $30,000 for surgery and post-operative care provided you do not encounter any complications. Although major complications are uncommon they do occur every now and again and the cost can then increase dramatically.

Where surgery is done outside of the US then the cost will be lower and you might expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band surgery has been performed for some considerably time in Australia and Europe where results have been very good and is also now being performed increasingly in countries such as Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico and the Far East.

If you are contemplating going overseas for surgery then you will need to factor in the cost of travel and post-surgical care which can considerably increase the total cost but still be less expensive than undergoing surgery at home. You will also have to check with your health insurance company if applicable because it is unlikely that your insurer will fund the cost of any surgery that is done overseas. Finally, you will need to note the fact that you might well have very much less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery outside of your home country.

In most cases having surgery at home is likely to be your safest choice but if the cost difference is big enough in your own case then you might well consider that it is worth the risk.