Does Health Insurance Cover Lap Band Surgery?
Lap band surgery is probably the last resort for achieving weight loss for someone who is frighteningly obese. Deciding to get one operated upon for the purpose of lap band surgery is a tough decision and even if someone does decide, at $25000 for a successful surgery, getting it done does take a fortune. Apart from this cost, additional overheads associated with the post surgery treatment may exponentiate the cost further.
There are some insurance offers that do cover lap band surgery and therefore, might prove to be a boon for those seeking such a surgery without having to bear the enormous cost associated with it.
People, who neither have the means to finance their Lap band surgery nor have a health insurance, are the ones usually seen seeking various options from health insurance companies. There are some schemes for such people as well. As long as they meet the various criterions that are laid down by health insurance companies, they would be entitled to getting their surgery sponsored (or co sponsored).
There are many people who meet the eligibility criteria for Medicaid (and similar) insurance schemes being run by various health insurance companies. Such schemes cover most of the expenses related to their medical care. At times, you would need to share the expenses, while at other times, the company might pay for all your expenses- it all depends on various yardsticks set by the company. Various age (you need to be over 65 years in age), disabilities, income (needs to be below a certain limit) and citizenship parameters are considered by health insurance companies while evaluating the amount to be paid to patients in return to their claims.
Some companies cover the expenses of a lap band surgery only under the condition that the patient is morbidly obese. The definition of such terms that might have been specified in the terms of service of the policy cover should be checked with your company. The benefits, risks and guarantees being offered to you by your health insurance company vary with the company, your health condition and the policy you have.
It is always better to ask your company about all the ‘hidden strings’ attached to the policy with respect to elaborate and expensive procedures such as the lap band surgery. In general, if the company feels that you actually need the surgery in order to keep medically fit and not because of cosmetic reasons, they would finance the operation.