FAQs: Insurance and Paying for Treatment
Will my insurance cover Bariatric Surgery? Possibly. Some insurance policies cover, others do not. You may call the customer service on the back of your insurance card and ask if surgery for “morbid obesity” is a covered benefit under your plan. If it is “excluded”, they will NOT cover the surgery, even if your primary doctor says that it is medically necessary. What will the surgery cost The cash price for gastric bypass surgery is $25,000. Lap-Band is $18,000. What does this fee include? It covers your pre-op lab work, surgery, anesthesia, hospital stay, post-op care for a certain period of time. BLIS insurance is also included for cash-pay patients. Do you offer financing? No, but we can put you in touch with a third-party that can offer financing. What is BLIS? BLIS is a re-insurance policy included in your cash price that covers complications that may arise with surgery. Why do you offer BLIS? It protects you against big hospital bills if you have a complication from your surgery. You must be compliant with your post-op instructions for BLIS to cover. Is Weight Loss Surgery tax deductible If you itemize deductions and you paid for weight loss surgery out of pocket for yourself, your spouse or dependent; remember to deduct the cost of the surgery and all related expenses. The IRS designated obesity a disease in April 2002, therefore there is an allowance for treatment of the disease, but it has a high threshold. You can deduct the cost for treatment for obesity, including weight loss surgery, over 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. For example if your adjusted gross income was $50,000 last year, you could deduct medical expenses over $3750. Deduction guidelines can be found in IRS Publication 502. Are there charges for post-op visits? After a certain amount of time, there will be a charge for post-op visits.