What Is The Cost Of Lap Band Surgery?

Anyone thinking about lap band surgery will almost certainly have a long list of questions and fairly high up on that list is going to be the question of price. Regrettably, although this may seem like an easy question, it is not quite so easy to answer.

The price of lap band weight loss surgery depends upon many different factors but the first thing you must do is determine whether you qualify as a candidate for surgery. Making up your mind that you want lap band surgery is one thing but when it comes to paying for surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health (NHI) is an important 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 also have a serious medical condition that is directly related to your weight. The list of related medical conditions is long but includes things like high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

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

The next thing which you have to examine is whether your health insurance policy will pay for some or all of the cost of surgery. It is commonly believed that insurers will not pay for weight loss surgery but this is not so and health insurance companies are increasingly funding either part or all of the cost of lap band surgery. Having said this, your insurer will only fund the cost if you meet the NIH criteria and if your doctor states that surgery is a medical necessity.

So, how much does lap band surgery cost?

The price of lap band surgery is complex because you need to take into account not simply the cost of the surgery itself but the associated costs which will vary considerably depending upon where surgery is carried out and by whom. Costs must include things like pre-op tests, fees for your surgeon and hospital fees. In addition, there will be several post-operative fees for services such as follow-up medical visits, psychological support and nutritional counseling.

When surgery is carried out in the United States then you could expect it to run from $17,000 to $30,000 for surgery and post-surgical care provided you do not run into any complications. Although major complications are not common they do occur from time to time and the cost may then increase considerably.

When surgery is carried out outside of the United States then the price will be less and you could expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band procedures have been carried out for many years in Australia and Europe where the results have been very good and is now being increasingly performed in countries such as Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and the Far East.

If you are contemplating traveling overseas for weight loss surgery then you will need to factor in the cost of travel and post-surgical care which can add considerably to the overall cost but still be less expensive than having surgery at home. You also need to check with your insurer if applicable as it is very unlikely that your insurer will pay the cost of any surgery that is performed overseas. Lastly, you will have to think about the fact that you may have very much less protection in law if anything goes wrong with surgery outside of your home country.

As a general rule having surgery at home is likely to be your best option but if the price difference is large enough in your own case then you may well consider that it is worth the risk.