Anybody who is thinking about lap band surgery will almost certainly have a long list of questions and towards the top of that list is going to be the question of price. Regrettably, while this may appear to be an easy question, it is not quite so easy to answer.
The price of lap band surgery will depend upon a whole host of factors but the first thing you must do is establish whether or not you qualify for surgery. Making up your mind that you need lap band surgery is one thing but when it comes to meeting the cost of surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health is a crucial factor.
As a general rule, if you have a BMI of 40 or more then you will automatically meet the NIH requirements. You could also qualify if your BMI falls between 35 and 39 provided you are also suffering from a serious medical problem which 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 fail to meet the NHI requirements then you will have to pay the full cost of lap band surgery yourself.
The next thing you need to look at is whether or not your health insurance will pay for all or part of the cost of surgery. It is frequently thought that insurers will not meet the cost of weight loss surgery but this is not so and health insurance companies are increasingly funding either all or part of the cost of lap band surgery. Your insurance company will however only fund the cost if you meet the NIH requirements and if your doctor states that surgery is a medical necessity.
So, what does lap band surgery cost?
The price of lap band surgery is complex as you need to work out not merely the cost of the surgery itself but all of the associated costs which will vary considerably depending upon where surgery is carried out and by whom. Fees must include things like pre-surgical tests, fees for your surgeon and hospital charges. In addition, there will be several post-operative charges for services such as medical visits, psychological support and nutritional counseling.
Where surgery is carried out in the United States then you could reasonably expect it to run from $17,000 to $30,000 for surgery and post-operative treatment provided you do not encounter any complications. While major complications are rare they do occur every now and again and costs may then rise dramatically.
Where surgery is carried out outside of the United States then the price will be lower and you could expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band surgery has been carried out for many years in Europe and Australia where the results have been excellent and is also now being increasingly done in countries such as Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico and the Far East.
Should you be thinking about going overseas for surgery then you must factor in the cost of travel and post-operative care which can considerably increase the overall cost but may still be less expensive than having surgery at home. You will also need to check with your insurance company if applicable because it is unlikely that your insurer will fund the cost of surgery that is done overseas. Lastly, you should think about the fact that you might have considerably less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery away from your home country.
Generally speaking having surgery at home will probably be your best and safest option but if the difference in price is big enough in your own case then you might well feel that it is worth taking the risk.
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