Weight loss surgery costs
There’s no doubt about it, Americans are getting fatter while the ideal of beauty – for both men and women – is getting skinner. This is in part due to human nature. After all, in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when few people had enough food to go around and everyone was skeletally thin, those who could afford to eat – and thus gain a round, plump shape – were seen as the ideal beauty queens and kings. Now that more and more Americans are obese, the opposite has happened, with those impossible skinny male and female models being viewed as the Platonic ideal of beauty. This all stems from the very real human desire to want what you can’t have, of course, but that doesn’t stop millions of men and women from trying to attain that ideal every year through everything from diet and exercise to diet pills to fad diets to weight loss surgery.
Sure, weight can be lost with diet and exercise, but that takes quite a bit of time. And sometimes, due to health factors or even psychological and emotional factors, people are unable to attain success losing weight simply through diet and exercise alone. For this reason, many people who are significantly overweight choose to look into weight loss surgery costs. This is because, of course, while weight loss the old fashioned way might actually save you money in food and medical bills in the long run, weight loss surgery costs quite a bit of money and can represent quite a monetary investment in your health.
For example, the average cost of gastric bypass surgery can be anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000, while gastric bypass’s sister surgery, gastric banding, can range anywhere from $14,000 to $30,000. Both are astronomical sums when it comes to a one time surgery, especially when it is often the case that insurance will not pay for something that is seen as elective surgery.
As you probably well know, especially if you or someone else in your family has ever had a major medical procedure, your weight loss surgery costs will add up to quite a bit more than just your chosen surgeons’ fee. For example, you will have to pay for space in the hospital or clinic, pre-op lab and x-rays, and the all important anesthesiologist. And, if complications should arise, these fees could go higher as you stay longer in the hospital, see one or more doctors more often, and perhaps even have to undergo further procedures in the worst case scenario.
Further, not all of the weight loss surgery costs actually go to doctors and hospitals. You will need to budget for your recovery and for your new lifestyle as well. After paying weight loss surgery costs, you will also have to think about the costs of a new diet and fitness regimen (which could include buying somewhat expensive fresh fruits and vegetables instead of cheap processed food and obtaining exercise equipment or a gym membership). Another thing you may not even have thought about is plastic surgery to remove the excess skin that has no place on your newly thin body or lift sagging areas and treat leftover fat deposits.
If you feel that you are not getting anywhere with traditional diet and exercise, consult your physician to see if weight loss surgery is an option for you. If your primary care physician gives the okay, then it’s time to discuss funds with your family, significant other, financial planner or accountant. And don’t forget to weigh all the costs, not just the hospital bill. Nobody wants financial stress added on to their weight loss journey.
Comments are closed
Related Information
