Those looking to lap band surgery is almost sure to have a list of questions and pretty high on this list will be the question of price . Unfortunately, although this may seem like a simple question, is not so easy to answer.
The price of lap band surgery depend on many factors , but you need to do is determine if you are eligible for surgery. Decide where you want the surgery is one thing, but when it comes to pay for the surgery if you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health is critical.
Usually, if you have a BMI of 40 or more will meet the requirements of the NHS. You may also be eligible if your BMI is between 35 and 39 provided that you also suffer from a serious medical condition that is associated with your weight. The list of associated diseases is long, but includes things such as diabetes , hypertension or high cholesterol .
If you do not meet the criteria established by the NHS , then you must pay the entire cost of the operation yourself.
The next thing you need to determine is whether your insurance will pay for all or part of the cost of surgery. We often think that insurers do not pay for weight loss surgery , but this is not true and insurance companies meet increasingly , whether all or part of the cost of loss surgery weight . That said, your health insurance company will pay if you meet the criteria established by the NIH and the physician certifies that the surgery is a medical necessity.
So what is the cost of surgery?
The price of the surgery is complex because it must include not only the cost of the surgery itself , but the associated costs vary considerably depending on where the surgery is performed and by whom. Costs should include things such as testing pre - surgical surgeon fees and hospital charges . There will also be several charges after surgery for services such as doctor visits, counseling and nutritional counseling.
When surgery is performed in the United States then you can expect to pay between $ 17,000 and $ 30,000 for surgery and postoperative care as long as there are complications. Although serious complications are rare, they do occur from time to time and cost can increase dramatically .
When surgery is performed outside the United States , then the price will be lower and you can expect to pay between $ 11,000 and $ 16,000 . Gastric banding procedures were performed for a considerable time in Europe and Australia, where the results have been excellent and are increasingly taking place in countries like Brazil, India , Mexico , Canada and the Far East.
If you plan to go abroad for surgery, then you should consider the cost of travel and postoperative care can significantly increase the total cost , but still cheaper than having surgery at home. You should also check with your health insurance company if, as it is very unlikely that your insurance company will cover the cost of surgery done abroad. Finally , we must consider the fact that you may well have much less legal protection if something goes wrong with the surgery outside their country of origin.
In most cases , they have their surgery in their country of origin, will probably be your best and safest option , but if the price difference is big enough for you , then you may well think it worth the risk .