Posts Tagged “Weight Loss Surgery”

If you are considering weight-loss surgery, you have probably spent some time wondering if your insurance will cover the procedure. Generally speaking, most insurance companies have come to understand the importance of fighting obesity. Though your insurance provider will need to ensure that you qualify for weight-loss surgery, your chances of securing coverage have improved dramatically in recent years. Even if you do not have insurance or qualify for coverage, NewHope Bariatrics has a number of options to make both the LAP-BAND® procedure and long-term weight loss an exciting – and affordable – reality.

Conditions for Coverage

When trying to determine if your insurance provider will cover weight-loss surgery, you should first refer to the information package you received when your policy coverage began. In most cases, the benefits of your insurance policy will be listed clearly under a title such as "covered expenses." If you do not have access to your insurance policy, you can simply call the customer service phone number listed on your insurance card and ask the representative if bariatric surgery is covered, and if so, what the requirements for coverage are. Please note that while and insurance companies may have plans that offer bariatric surgery coverage, often, the employer chooses whether to offer bariatric coverage as part of its specific policy. So, if your insurance is through an employer, please verify that your specific policy covers surgery for obesity. If it seems that weight-loss or bariatric surgery is not covered by your policy, pay close attention to the fine print and try to determine if there are any exceptions – such as secondary health concerns – that may qualify you for coverage.

Before your insurance provider will approve you for coverage, they will need to verify that you meet the requirements to pursue weight-loss surgery. For your insurance provider to determine that the procedure is medically necessary, you will need to submit detailed information about both your health and previous failed efforts to lose weight. Much of this information can be provided in a document known as a Letter of Medical Necessity. NewHope Bariatric physicians are very familiar with the requirements of insurance companies in determining coverage for weight-loss surgery. We will supply your insurance company with appropriate documentation and records. In this letter, the following information is usually included:

• Why weight-loss surgery is medically necessary – This section covers information about how obesity directly impacts your overall health or documentation of secondary health conditions that have been impacted by your weight to demonstrate that weight-loss surgery is the most effective treatment.

• Number of years you have been overweight – In nearly all cases, insurance providers and weight-loss surgeons will look for patients that have been overweight for at least five years.

• Body weight or body mass index (BMI) – Candidates for weight-loss surgery should be at least 100 pounds over ideal body weight, or have a BMI of at least 40. In some cases, patients with a BMI of 35 who have at least one health condition related to obesity can be candidates for weight-loss surgery.

• Obesity-related medical problems – It is important to document the presence of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or hypertension as secondary medical concerns. This can help your insurance provider recognize the importance of your weight-loss surgery procedure.

• Failed weight-loss efforts – It is important that you provide as much information as possible about all failed weight loss attempts. This documentation should include an outline of your diet and exercise efforts as demonstration of your longstanding commitment to weight loss, regardless of the results. Whether the information provided comes from your own records, a commercial weight loss program or previous medical supervision, the more documentation you provide attesting to your efforts to lose weight, the greater chance you have of receiving approval from your insurance provider.

In addition to the information outlined above, you may also need to receive psychological, nutritional and/or other similar evaluations. When communicating with your insurance provider, you should also try to be very specific in describing your condition. As obesity and morbid obesity are classified as two distinct medical conditions, you want to make sure that your insurance provider understands your correct obesity classification when evaluating your claim.

How NewHope Bariatrics Can Help

As the requirements for insurance coverage can often be difficult to understand, NewHope Bariatrics is committed to help patients navigate the process. Having worked directly with numerous insurance providers, NewHope Bariatrics can assist patients in completing the necessary paperwork and assisting with the insurance authorization process. NewHope Bariatrics can also help patients determine the amount of available coverage, highlight any possible contractual agreements between NewHope Bariatrics and the insurance provider and help estimate any out-of-pocket costs. NewHope Bariatrics and our physicians will provide support in working with you and your insurance company throughout the authorization process.

If you don’t have insurance or your plan doesn’t cover the LAP-BAND® System, NewHope Bariatrics can also work with you to find an affordable financing program. There are several payment packages and discount opportunities available and prospective patients can take advantage of free referrals to a number of trusted lenders who are familiar with helping weight-loss surgery patients.

Whether your insurance covers the LAP-BAND® procedure or not, you will also have an opportunity to see a unique cost comparison during your financial consultation. Most people don’t think they can afford to pay for LAP-BAND® surgery, but what many people don’t realize is that they can hardly afford not to. The costs of living with obesity can exceed $15,000 annually! The LAP-BAND® procedure can practically pay for itself within one year. Additionally, patients without adequate insurance coverage can also take advantage of potential tax deductions, bringing the total cost down even further.

As the LAP-BAND® is regarded as both the most affordable and lowest risk weight-loss surgery, the benefits of the procedure far outweigh the costs for most patients. Though your chances of receiving insurance approval will be contingent on the requirements of your provider, there are many funding options available to prospective patients. As obesity takes such a great toll on life – both physically and financially – the LAP-BAND® procedure can represent an incredible opportunity for all qualified individuals.

Carole S. Guinane, a Chief Clinical Officer writes articles about obesity and weight loss for New Hope Today.

Article Source: Will Insurance Pay For Weight Loss Surgery?

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Looking slim and attractive is in fashion. People control their diet and follow a proper exercise regime to loose weight. However, for some people following a strict diet and exercise routine does not work and they are unable to loose weight. In such cases people have to resort to various surgical methods of weight loss.

Bariatric surgery is one of the surgical methods available that helps people in loosing weight. This surgery helps one to loose weight by making modifications in the gastrointestinal tract that reduces nutrient intake and absorption. This surgery best suits the people who have weight related health problems and obesity. The surgery basically works by changing the way the digestive system functions. When food is chewed and passes to the stomach, the stomach acids convert the food to small particles. These particles are then passed into the small intestine where the action of enzymes and bile help in the digestion of food. The calcium, iron and vitamins from the food are absorbed in the duodenum. The Ileum and jejunum absorb the maximum nutrients and calories. Once the Bariatric surgery takes place, the size of the stomach is reduced by almost 90 percent. This causes a reduction in the quantity of food that can be taken in at any given time. During the surgery, the digestive tract is also altered and the food bypasses duodenum and goes directly to jejunum. This results in the food getting in contact with fewer enzymes and thus the body absorbs less nutrients and calories.

The Bariatric surgery procedures can be classified into malabsorptive procedures, restrictive procedures and mixed procedures. The malabsorptive procedures are the ones that work to reduce the stomach size and to reduce the amount of nutrients and calories absorbed by the digestive system. The restrictive procedures are also applied to reduce the stomach size and create a small stomach pouch that can be used as a new stomach. The mixed surgical procedures are the ones that can use both techniques i.e. reducing the stomach size and also creating a new additional stomach.

Once the surgery is done, the patient needs to ensure that he takes in a proper diet. Usually after the surgery, the patient is asked to stay on a liquid diet. Once the digestive tract gets back to its normal functioning, a few changes are made in the diet. Many times patients are also recommended to have multivitamin pills that compensate for the less nutrients absorbed by the body.

The Bariatric surgery has with it associated all the risks of a normal medical operation. The level of risks involved depends upon the type of surgery done and the experience of the surgeon. It has been observed that the chances of failure of the surgery are more if the surgeon is inexperienced. Many patients face health problems even after the surgery. These problems generally relate to a change in eating habits and loose skin.

Bariatric surgery is very effective surgery for weight loss which is performed under general anesthesia and by making a small incision in the abdominal area.

eBariatric Surgery gives you complete and meticulous information on bariatric surgery, obesity, pre-surgery preparations, post surgery care, diet, complications, costing and financing. At www.ebariatricsurgery.com, you can also choose your own bariatric surgeon.

Article Source: Bariatric Surgery – The Weight Loss Surgery

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Weight-Loss Surgery May ‘Remodel’ Heart
Title: Weight-Loss Surgery May ‘Remodel’ Heart Category: Health News Created: 2/3/2011 4:05:00 PM Last Editorial Review: 2/4/2011

Read more on MedicineNet.com

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When you are now overweight and want to look for ways that you can employ to lose your weight, you may want to know this magic for obesity- weight loss surgery. You may wonder if it does work. Can you prevent yourself from gaining weight back on this type of weight loss method?

We know that nowadays weight loss surgery is gaining its popularity for solving obesity problem. Because people want to need to lose weight so badly, they will try to find any way to do to put their weights down. Some doctors said that people who have too much weight should use this method. When we talk about too much weight here, we mean excessively too much. You know what I mean.

The method is by no means easy to get and the short term results can be seen very quickly. However, some of other complications may have to be taken into consideration.

When we talk about surgery, we normally think of how safe it is going to be if we decide to use this on ourselves. Thanks to the advanced medical technology, the safety now is high when you have it with the right doctor and hospital. The medical field now has more knowledge on how to make surgical procedure safer and make the patient recuperate faster.

The pre-examination will make the doctor understand your condition and see if you are suitable to be operated upon. You may need to have many other clinical examinations done before you earn the approval for weight loss surgery. The procedures are of course for your own safety.

This is the reason that you should not be worried too much if you decide to manage your obesity by weight loss surgery. The standard now is higher than ever before. The main point is whether you should do it.

Doctors put this type of surgery as a major surgery. The major surgery involves putting you under anesthesia. You can see that there is some risk involved. Therefore, when you decide to do this, you will have to know your motivation. Do you really want to do this and why? This is the crucial step before you decide to go further.

One thing that a lot of people do not know is that weight loss surgery can help obese people have a longer life, be healthier and have better quality of life. Therefore, this is one of your choices to take care of your obesity – weight loss surgery.

Jim Somchai If you want to take care of your obesity without performing weight loss surgery, you should check our fat loss book reports. It can help you with other means and methods.

Article Source: Magic for Obesity – Weight Loss Surgery

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Success: After Weight Loss Surgery 2008 - Char...
Image by kevin_d_old via Flickr

There are several weight loss cosmetic surgery options such as liposuction, lap-band surgery, mesotherapy (although mesotherapy may not be considered a surgery, it is still a medically invasive weight loss procedure) etc.

As with any medical surgical operation, there are clear and present risks of health complications. Therefore when one is considering a weight loss surgical option, it should be the last resort to lose weight when every other method with professional instruction such as dieting and exercising has failed.

You should definitely try to lose weight with other methods first such being on an exercise and healthy dieting program. If you do not know how to start, then engage a qualified fitness instructor if you need someone to teach, motivate and push you towards your weight loss goals.

Your fitness personal trainer will not only guide you through your exercises and workouts, he or she will also plan a proper eating program for you and at the same time, monitor weight loss progress professionally.

You need to be aware that even with a successful weight loss surgery and you continue with your bad eating habits and do not do regular exercises, the weight you have lost may very likely to return to haunt you.

This can be rather distressful after so much money is spent and the ordeal of undergoing a surgeon’s knife. Therefore a weight maintenance program is very crucial for your long term success.

When all else fails, which is unlikely, and then it may be plausible to go under the surgeon’s knife for the surgical procedure. There are issues to consider if you opt for weight loss surgery or in medical term, a bariatric surgery.

You should be least 100 pounds overweight or your BMI (body mass index) is 40 and above. You may also have hypertension, diabetes, or sleep apnea and have tried to lose weight unsuccessfully using other methods.

However, a weight loss surgery is not recommended if you are suffering from psychiatric effects, drug and alcohol addiction, medical conditions that may contraindicate the surgery and or having unreasonable expectations.

Also, you must understand that you are undergoing the surgery for yourself and for your health. If you and your spouse are having problems and you think that surgical option will make your spouse love you more, then the surgery definitely not for you.

Another example will be that you want to attract somebody else and think that a slimmer post surgery will make you more attractive to the person you like, then again, this is not for you because you may suffer from bad surgery psychological effect when you fail to attract that person.

Before your surgery, extensive medical and psychological testing will be conducted by your plastic surgeon to determine if a meet the medical guidelines and is a good candidate for a successful weight loss surgery.

Do research the subject extensively and consult your plastic surgeon or even a psychologist before you come to an informed decision to undergo a weight loss surgery.

Chris Chew is the author of Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast. More articles at Build big muscles and Lose fat gain confidence

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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