CNN Article Today

You judge for yourself http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/03/23/stomach.stapling.reut/index.html

Hi Rob, Someone just sent me a similar article found here: http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040322/bizeature_obesity_1.html It's crazy. I think the government may have to step in to either regulate costs or enforce criteria on this. It's short-sightedness as usual. The costs of treating a diabetic (blindness, medication, loss of limbs, etc.) or someone with high blood pressure (medication, hospitalization) are far greater cumulatively than the costs of this surgery which returns us to healthy, long-lived, fully contributing members of society again. The government admits that obesity is an epidemic and even has those awful new commercials about it, which they say are designed to inject humor but I just find them humiliating. So if we had an epidemic of, say, tuberculosis and the only way to stop it from spreading and killing tens of thousands of people was to perform an expensive procedure, do you think the health care industry would say "No way. We're not approving this treatment. It's too expensive." They absolutely wouldn't say that. It would be evident that they were closing their doors and sentencing people to death. Society would never let them get away with it. This just infuriates me because it's just one more way that society devalues us. We don't deserve treatment. We're not worth it. This is the message I get. Blah! -Eve

No doubt in my mind - it's driven by dollars and shortsightedness. The BS about them not wanting to pay for the surgery because some other insurance will benefit is a crock. On an individual basis it's true, but those things (people moving from one insurer to another) even themselves out over the time. So one insurance co. will pick up a post op that it didn't pay for the surgery and another will lose a customer after it did. It's all a bunch of BS by the insurers. This surgery is a proven life saver for a lot of people. Of course it has its risks; any major surgery does. In my mind, no insurers should be allowed to exclude this procedure provided the patient meets certain reasonable guidelines (e.g., 100 overweight for at least 5 years). All I can say is I'm glad I didn't have a problem with my ins. company but I feel very badly for those who do.

I agree Rob, I'm really glad we're having our surgeries now. If the insurers start causing real problems, it could be some time before they get things straightened out. No telling how many lives could be lost in that time due to disease and depression. Thanks! -Eve

Yup - it's the same article. Thanks Eve

I am glad I got my surgery already too now if they are going to be changing anything...I live in the Chicago area too where that article was spawned. I DID appreciate the facts that they listed though, that 100 lbs over for men and 80 lbs over for women is the NORM for the surgery. I still have people make me feel funny when they find out and say "you aren't that heavy" but I was 80 lbs overweight....and could easily have been 100 in a couple years.... I read that side article about the surgeon in Florida who is leaving the state and his practice there because insurance won't be covering the surgery anymore...and he is going to practice in Virginia where it is a LAW that insurance covers it. Things like that will surely help.