Bariatric Surgery Options

Thirty percent of Americans are obese and sixty-four percent of Americans are overweight.

According to the Center for Disease Control, overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for physical ailments such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, coronary heart disease, angina, congestive heart failure, stroke, gallstones, gout, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, some types of cancer, complications of pregnancy, poor female reproductive health (such as menstrual irregularities, infertility, irregular ovulation), bladder control problems, and psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self-esteem.

The economic impact of overweight and obesity and the health problems they bring with them create a massive drain on the U.S. health care system. The costs of preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services, the value of income lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days and the costs of future income lost by premature death are all costs that affect Medicaid, Medicare and our public health programs. In fact, most insurance companies have found that they save money by approving bariatric (weight loss) surgery, which allows their clients to eliminate their obesity related problems altogether, rather than paying the costs of services necessary for those obese and overweight clients to continue as they are.

There are several different types of bariatric surgery available. To find the most appropriate procedure, you should be aware of each and discuss the subject in depth with a bariatric surgeon who knows your medical history. The more common types of bariatric surgery currently available are the Duodenal Switch, Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, Lap Band, Fobi Pouch and Roux-n-Y.